Saints coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that he hopes injured tight end Jeremy Shockey and receiver Marques Colston are back for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

New Orleans' quarterback Drew Brees leads the league with 1,993 passing yards, despite not having Shockey (sports hernia) and Colston (thumb) for much of the season.

Shockey, in his first season with Saints after being traded from the New York Giants, has missed three games.

“He's been in a tremendous player in this league,” said Panthers coach John Fox. “It's not like he hasn't played this season and that he hasn't been a part of it.”

Briefly

Panthers receiver D.J. Hackett (knee) missed practice Wednesday and said afterward that he didn't know how he hurt his knee two weeks ago against Kansas City.

He said he just came down on it wrong while running downfield.

“Weird, that's a good word to describe it,” said Hackett. “But I'm glad it wasn't a worse injury.”

Hackett, who signed as a free agent in the offseason from Seattle, missed most of training camp with a foot injury.

Fox said Hackett's status now is “between day-to-day and week-to-week.”

These players had limited participation Wednesday: Linebacker Thomas Davis (ankle), center Ryan Kalil (ankle), receiver Muhsin Muhammad (knee), offensive tackle Jeff Otah (ankle) and linebacker Adam Seward (thigh).

Fox said he's happy with how defensive end Julius Peppers is playing.

“Good,” Fox said of Peppers, who has 3.0 sacks, 20 tackles and a forced fumble. “Our body of work is not done yet, but he's played very well for us. Good enough for us to be 4-2.

“We're the third-ranked defense in the league and he's been a big part of that.”

Payton said he thought his team would have a competitive advantage against the San Diego Chargers when they play next week in London.

The Saints face a flight of about eight hours when they leave Charlotte for London on Sunday.

Payton originally figured the Chargers would have about a 15-hour flight from San Diego.

But the Chargers are playing Sunday at Buffalo and will leave from there.

“So much for our flight advantage,” said Payton.

Panthers linebacker Na'il Diggs has been bothered by the Panthers' problems with the three blocked punts against them this season.

“I've really taken it to heart,” he said. “If upset me before, but now it's almost like three times is a charm. I thought it had to stop after the first time, then the second time. Now I'm sure teams are going to come after us and we've got to be extra tight (with blocking) all the time.”

The Panthers' had a “miscount,” according to Dante Rosario, last Sunday when Tampa Bay blocked a punt on Carolina's first possession.

“You count the players we have from the outside in,” said Diggs.

“How many players are rushing, how many are going to be back, who's moving around. It causes confusion. Nonetheless that's not an excuse. We see that every week in practice.”