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AP Photo / NesiusGiants RB Brandon Jacobs is a bit of a question mark coming into Week 12. Will he be worth using in Fantasy play?

Want to know if Brandon Jacobs is worth starting this week? How about Tony Romo? Will Tyler Thigpen continue to shine?

Join me here at 1 p.m. CT today and I'll try to answer all those questions and more about Week 12 in Fantasy Football.

Susan Poag/The Times-PicayuneWill Smith is hoping for another big game on Monday night as the Saints play Green Bay.

So this Sunday, Saints fans, you'll get to flip back and forth from Fox to CBS. Or maybe you have the Sunday ticket. Then again, you might cruise down to the local watering hole, just to see five games as once.

Whatever, you have an extra day before the Saints hit the field. You're no doubt watching football, right?

Anyway, as the Saints get ready to make you wait a whole 'nuther day and a half before they play Green Bay, well, let's chat.

Join Times-Picayune beat reporters Mike Triplett and Teddy Kider, at the Saints facility, for a 12:30 Saints discussion.

Michael DeMocker / The Times-PicayuneThe Hornets lost to the Kings at home, and folks are wondering what is wrong.

In today's look around NOLA.com, there's plenty to occupy one's attention.

First and foremost on everyone's mind is probably the New Orleans Hornets' home loss to the Sacramento Kings, the kind of setback that can come back to haunt a team when playoff positioning becomes a bigger factor in March and April. Fans have begun to question the team's defense and still others are getting close to hitting the panic button in calling for a trade. It's probably not as bad as all that, but the Hornets sure do seem to be missing something at present.

John Russell, The Associated PressPackers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says of sitting behind Brett Favre, 'After three years of waiting, I think it's probably the best thing that could have happened to me.'

No matter what Aaron Rodgers does for the rest of his NFL career, Green Bay Packers enthusiasts -- and perhaps Rodgers himself -- will always have one question about the team's new starting quarterback: What could he have done as a 21-year-old rookie out of California?

Ellis Lucia/The Times-PicayuneSyracuse coach Jim Boeheim cuts down the nets when his team won the national championship in 2003, the last time the Final Four was in New Orleans.

The Final Four is coming back to New Orleans. Five years after local officials were stunned to be passed over for the tournament and three years after Hurricane Katrina threatened the existence of the Superdome, the NCAA on Wednesday awarded college basketball's crown jewel to the city for 2012.

Michael DeMocker, The Times-PicayuneBobby Jackson, whom the Hornets traded last season, hit three big shots in the fourth quarter to lift Sacramento to victory.

In his first game this season against his former teammates, Sacramento Kings guard Bobby Jackson initially struggled Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena. When he came off the bench for the first time in the second quarter, Jackson missed his first two shots. After three quarters, he was scoreless.

You could call it a roll, but New Orleans has been on one of these before -- several times before, to be exact. You could call it impressive if the city hadn't already, in the past, been considered even more impressive when it comes to consideration for such things.

Danny Johnston, The Associated PressOle Miss Coach Houston Nutt didn't udnerstand the depth of the LSU rivalry until he became the Rebels' coach.

BATON ROUGE -- Among the difficulties LSU will face Saturday when it hosts Ole Miss is this: The game might mean more to the Rebels. For one thing, it has been a while since Ole Miss beat the Tigers. LSU has won six in a row against the Rebels and seven of the past eight, a one-sided run that has given the game a sort of for-granted aura among LSU fans.

BATON ROUGE -- A playoff system in college football looks like it is still a long way off, but Saturday's LSU-Ole Miss game has a bit of a playoff subplot. When the teams kick off at Tiger Stadium, bowl bids will be at stake. It appears the winner will be the frontrunner for the AT&T Cotton Bowl, according to bowl officials. The loser probably goes to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, provided each wins its game the next week.

Mark Saltz, The Associated PressPoint guard Bo Spencer scored 21 points in his season debut, but coach Trent Johnson expects him to pass and set up teammates more than lead the team in scoring.

BATON ROUGE -- All you instant Bo Spencer fans out there, don't get used to it. Spencer debuted as LSU's starting point guard with 21 points against Jackson State on Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and it's not that he can't do again. It's just that it was a little off script.

THIBODAUX -- Blessed with its share of good shooters, Nicholls State kept mixing and matching players until it got the right outside mix during its season opener against UNO. And when that right mix was found, Nicholls State's hot outside shooting plus 21 turnovers by UNO helped the Colonels to a 79-62 victory at Stopher Gym on Wednesday night.

Times-Picayune Photo ArchiveA year after Norman Francis becmae president of Xavier University, the school reinstated its sports progrm.

It's no surprise one of the first things Dr. Norman Francis did when he became president of Xavier 40 years ago was to bring back the sports program. Not only was Xavier the first historically black Catholic university in the western hemisphere, it also was known, as Francis recalled, "as the black Notre Dame of the south."

The New Orleans Hornets dropped to 5-5 on the year with a stunning 105-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings, who played the game without three injured starters.

Guard John Salmons led the Kings with 29 points and former Hornets guard Bobby Jackson had eight fourth-quarter points, two of them 3-pointers, as the Kings pulled away.

David West led the Hornets with 22 points. Chris Paul had 20 points and 15 assists.

New Orleans is .500 for the first time since Dec. 11,1006 when they were 10-10.

Nicholls State has defeated UNO 79-62 in its season opener in the Stopher Gym.

Michael DeMocker / The Times-PicayuneJames Posey and the Hornets will look to bounce back against Sacramento.

The New Orleans Hornets return home Wed. night for a contest with the Sacramento Kings (7 p.m. CT) and NOLA.com will be hosting a live game chat right here.

On the surface, the game isn't that meaningful. But don't tell that to the players, who have had four days to stew over a poor performance in Houston. The Hornets know they have to win games like these to stay in command of their own playoff destiny, and tonight's game should reflect that mentality.

Want to complain about the refs or marvel with other fans over the mastery of Chris Paul? This is your spot to do so.

The Saints added another player to their injured reserve list Wednesday, ending the season for tight end Mark Campbell after he injured his left knee against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Campbell's roster spot will be filled by running back Mike Bell, who signed with the Saints on Wednesday.

The Saints also signed receiver Chris Francies, a 26-year-old last with the Green Bay Packers, and running back Lavarus Giles, a rookie from Jackson State, to their practice squad Wednesday.

I'd feel a lot sorrier for the New Orleans Saints if it wasn't for New England.

I'd be a lot more inclined to give more credence to New Orleans' injury situation being a reason for its 5-5 record - giving the Saints an out that, to their credit, the players and head coach thus far have refused to take - if not for the Patriots, who arguably are in a worse injury fix and are 6-4.

Earlier this week New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott had plans to activate backup power forward Sean Marks. But those plans have been put on hold because Scott wants more time for Marks to get adjusted to the offense.

Before Wednesday morning's shootaround, Scott said Marks would not be activated until sometime next week. Marks, who suffered a strained calf and a hamstring injury in training camp, he has not played in any regular-season games.

After a little prodding, Saints fans responded wtih a flurry of excellent questions about their beloved Who Dats.

There were several questions about the Deuce McAllister situation column I wrote for The Times-Picayune on Tuesday. Other items on the docket: the secondary, Jamar Nesbit's status, and, of course, StarCap-gate.

If you don't see your answer in this installment, check back on Friday for the weekend mailbag. There are plenty more where these came from...

Staff / The Times-PicayuneAaron Stecker is just the latest Saints player to see his season end early.

It's Tuesday, two days removed from the New Orleans Saints' latest atrocity, er, win, and that means we have plenty of off-field stories to concern ourselves with (as opposed to Sean Payton's playcalling, Deuce McAllister's lack of playing time and so forth and so on).

The latest sledgehammer to the midsection that Saints fans get to endure is the news that running back Aaron Stecker is out for the season, having been placed on injured reserve by the team earlier in the day.

Ouch.

Chris Granger, The Times-PicayuneAaron Stecker will miss the rest of this season with a hamstring injury, and will become a free agent at the end of the season.

Tailback Aaron Stecker became the 13th member of the Saints' injured reserve list Tuesday, ending his season with a right hamstring injury. The Saints replaced him on their roster with free-agent fullback Darian Barnes. They also agreed to a deal with free-agent tailback Mike Bell, according to Bell's agent, Steven Feldman. Bell will be signed today.

Michael DeMocker, The Times-PicayuneThrough nine games this season, Chris Paul has 27 steals - an average of three per game - both best in the NBA.

Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul has been surpassing records and milestones as fast as autumnal leaves fall, and each time he collects a steal in the next 12 games, he draws closer to the NBA mark for thefts in consecutive games.

Times-Picayune Photo ArchiveCarmelo Anthony won the 2003 title at the Final Four in New Orleans.

Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson went to sleep Monday anticipating that he would learn Tuesday if the two-year effort he has led to secure the 2012 Final Four for New Orleans has paid off. He had to repeat the process last night.

John Russell, The Times-PicayuneQuarterback Aaron Rodgers received a longterm contract last month, but the Packers are still battling to secure a playoff berth.

With the way the NFC is shaping up, the Packers sense they will have to win their division to make the playoffs. They displayed that win-or-else attitude Sunday at Lambeau Field, whipping Chicago 37-3 to pull into a three-way tie at 5-5 with Minnesota and the Bears for first place in the NFC North. Green Bay returns to practice Thursday in preparation for Monday night's game against the Saints at the Superdome.

Times-Picayune Photo ArchiveThe Sugar Bowl returns to the network that broadcast the game in the first eight years of the BCS.

For the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Tuesday's announcement that ESPN has secured the TV rights for all BCS games between 2011 and 2014 means a reunion with an old friend.

John McCusker, The Times-PicayuneAfter a switch from linebacker to fullback, Quinn Johnson has become a key part of LSU's power running game.

BATON ROUGE -- One could say LSU senior fullback Quinn Johnson never really stopped being a linebacker. As a fullback, he's constantly looking for someone to hit, and when he does, his game gets going.

Michael DeMocker, The Times-PicayuneIn his senior season, Demetrius Byrd is six receptions and 185 yards shy of his 2007 totals.

BATON ROUGE -- Although his statistics aren't what they were last season, wide receiver Demetrius Byrd insists he's still having fun as his senior year draws to a close at LSU. Byrd has just four touchdowns this season after scoring seven last season, including a 61-yarder at Alabama in the Tigers' 41-34 victory and the game-winner in the closing seconds in LSU's 30-24 win against Auburn at Tiger Stadium.

Danny Bourque, The Times-PicayuneThis season has not gone as well as Tulane defensive coordinator O'Neill Gilbert planned.

Remember when Tulane defensive coordinator O'Neill Gilbert was considered a genius?

Like about a month ago?

In that span, the Green Wave's defense has fallen from the best in Conference USA and among the national leaders to the lower half of the league in conference games and into the bottom 50 percent (65th out of 119) nationally.

This week's NFL power rankings, as we're fresh off last week's games.

With injuries, or other NFL news, our rankings could change for the list we run in Sunday's paper.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneCharles Grant is one of the Saints appealing a possible suspension.

Hope for the best today for Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant during their appeals process with the league. But, honestly, expect the worst.

Realistically, it's a lot better to assume those three - and every other NFL player caught up in the Bumetanide net, having knowingly or unknowingly taken the banned diuretic - soon will be suspended four games by the NFL. It's a lot safer to envision the Saints without McAllister and Smith (Grant already is out the rest of the season with a triceps injury) for a month or the rest of the regular season, depending on when the penalty actually is assessed, than it is to envision them on the field once the league hears their appeals.

There's nothing to be concerned about as the New Orleans Hornets begin their season rather sluggishly, Coach Byron Scott said Tuesday.

"It's only nine games into the season," Scott said with his team standing 5-4 with the next four games coming against teams with a combined record of 6-26. "The offense hasn't gotten clicking but the defense has played pretty well. That's what's kept us in games.

"I know we have to do better, especially on the offensive end. I told the guys our energy has to be more consistent. That's the one thing we have to make sure we do a better job of, making sure we bring it every night."

Louisiana-Lafayette running back Tyrell Fenroy is up for the Doak Walker Award, and fans can help him win it.

ESPN has launched an official poll where fans can rank the semifinalists and pick their favorite candidate for the award. The results of the poll count as one official vote for the Doak Walker finalists.

Fenroy was named a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award last week. The senior running back has 1,269 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns.

NATCHITOCHES, LA. - The Country Day boys cross country team left Northwestern State University on Monday thinking it had won the Class 1A state championship.

St. Martin's left the meet thinking it finished second.