Khary Campbell was active for the New York game but was a last-minute scratch when his ailing quadricep tightened up again. Washington's top special teams tackle the past three seasons was unable to practice on Wednesday. Starting strongside backer Marcus Washington made a rare special teams appearance for Campbell last week but the Redskins will keep Alfred Fincher active if Campbell's not ready on Sunday.

PLAYER NOTES

--WR Malcolm Kelly, who had arthroscopic knee surgery on Aug. 4, took his first full practice on Wednesday and should be healthy enough to make his NFL debut on Sunday.

--S Kareem Moore, who missed the Giants' game with a hamstring, took limited work on Wednesday.

--DE Jason Taylor banged his ailing right knee with one of DE Demetric Evans' knees in practice. Taylor missed the remainder of drills but said that he's fine.

--CB Shawn Springs took full practice on Wednesday after missing the Giants' game with a calf injury.

--CB Fred Smoot was limited in practice because of the hip injury that sidelined him during the third quarter against the Giants.

GAME PLAN: The Redskins would like to play keep-away against the Saints. New Orleans' potent offense racked up 438 yards (337 in the air) against a tough Tampa Bay defense in winning 24-20 last week. Meanwhile, Washington controlled the ball for just 9:25 of the first half in its season-opening 16-7 loss at the New York Giants. Neither team scored after halftime.

In order for the Redskins to keep the ball away from Drew Brees and Co., they need to be much better on third down. Washington converted just three of 13 third downs against New York, coming up a yard or two shy of the marker on three straight third-down completions in the third quarter when the game was still in doubt. The Bucs averaged 7.3 yards a carry against the Saints so the Redskins hope Clinton Portis will greatly improve the 3.7-yard average he posted against the Giants.

Defensively, the Redskins want to sack Brees or at least get bodies in front of the relatively short (6-foot) Saints quarterback to prevent him from getting a good look at his targets. Fourteen of Brees' 23 completions against the Bucs went to elusive running back Reggie Bush and powerful tight end Jeremy Shockey, but the lone completions to receivers Devery Henderson and David Patten went for 84 and 39 yards, respectively, and for touchdowns. Even with Saints top receiver Marques Colston out, The Redskins need their three top corners -- Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot -- all of whom are coming off injuries, to avoid a track meet if ends Jason Taylor and Andre Carter can't get to Brees.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Redskins OLBs Marcus Washington and Rocky McIntosh vs. Saints RB Reggie Bush and TE Jeremy Shockey -- Washington, who had just one solo tackle last week, his fewest in five years as a Redskins starter, and McIntosh, who's coming off major knee surgery, have to prevent Bush from beating them outside on runs and screens and stop Shockey from doing too much damage on passes down the middle of the field. Bush managed just 33 yards on 12 touches in his previous game against the Redskins. Shockey had seven catches for 95 yards in two games against the Redskins for the Giants in 2007.

Redskins WRs Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El vs. Saints CBs Jason David and Randall Gay: The Saints had the NFL's third-worst pass defense in 2007 in large part because of their struggles in the secondary. David, who struggled last year, and Gay, filling in for the injured Mike McKenzie after signing from New England in March, are still starting and helped hold Tampa Bay's passing game in check in the opener. The Redskins didn't have a good night on offense in their opener, but Moss and Randle El combined for 12 catches, 110 yards and a touchdown.

INJURY IMPACT: If Washington and Khary Campbell can't play, either Alfred Fincher or H.B. Blades would make his first Redskins start. If Smoot can't play, Leigh Torrence will be the third corner and rookie Justin Tryon will be the fourth corner as was the case in the second half against the Giants. If Moore can't play, fifth safety Justin Hamilton will be active for the second straight game.