Heinicke (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Saints, but he'll operate as the emergency quarterback, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Heinicke was deemed questionable after logging three limited sessions during Week 18 prep but will ultimately be inactive for the regular-season finale due to an ankle injury he aggravated versus Chicago in Week 17. He started the season as Desmond Ridder's backup, but Heinicke eventually claimed a starting role and appeared in five games this season, completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 890 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. Ridder will start versus New Orleans, while Logan Woodside is the primary backup. If both Ridder and Woodside are forced out of Sunday's game due to injuries, Heinicke would be eligible to play, though it's unclear how mobile he'd be given his lower-body injury.