New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees set to start vs. Kansas City Chiefs; Michael Thomas ruled out Previously covered LSU football, San Francisco 49ers Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate Payton said Friday that the plan is for Brees to start Sunday. "He's looked good. He feels good," Payton said. "We were encouraged at the start of the week. We wanted to see how it felt as he went through a full practice week, and he's done a good job." The news wasn't so good for star receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was ruled out Friday after not practicing all week due to a lingering ankle injury. Thomas had played through the injury since returning to the lineup in Week 9.