ANTONIO GATES PERFORMANCE |Current Headline|.

Welcome to Week 7. We'll be tracking the major news and handing out observations right here.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates did not practice one time this week while he battles a toe injury. He discussed it cautiously, saying he wouldn’t know if the nagging ailment would allow him to perform against the Patriots until today. The star pass-catcher is officially questionable.

Then today, a report by ESPN on its early show described Gates’ injury as something that could slow him down all season. It indicated Gates knows he shouldn’t play, but that he’ll likely try, anyway. Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time Gates plays without practicing.Anthony Gonzalez reportedly aggravated his high ankle sprain. The guy just can't stay on the field -- he's Mr. Glass. Blair White now has no competition for the No. 3 WR job while Austin Collie is out.

Kenny Britt is going to be active, but won't start. I'm not sure if that's because of the fight he got in, or simply because Justin Gage (hamstring) is healthy. Either way, I'm benching Britt in all spots.
Here's a BOMBSHELL. FOX's Jay Glazer is reporting that Pierre Thomas is in coach Sean Payton's doghouse and may be a healthy scratch even when active. WOW. Not sure I'm buying that, but Chris Ivory's stock is on the rise big time either way. We'll be looking for more details on this. some big news on Antonio Gates. The toe he has injured right now is the same one that he had surgery on in 2008. Yikes. He also says Gates is very iffy for today. I'm starting him if he's active, but we need to have backup plans ready.