METAIRIE, La. -- Brandin Cooks will play Sunday, according to New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, after the receiver was cleared through concussion testing Wednesday and Thursday.

Cooks practiced fully Friday and is officially listed as probable for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.

Brandin Cooks was tested for a concussion but was deemed not to have suffered one against the Panthers, he said. Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Cooks' status for Sunday's game seemed in doubt when he missed Thursday's practice and was listed on the injury report with a concussion. But Cooks specified Friday that he never had a concussion. He was just tested for one as a precaution after letting coaches know that he was experiencing some dizziness and a headache during Wednesday's practice.

Cooks was tested again Thursday and credited Payton with being extra cautious.

"I'm very happy about [being able to play]. But as we know, this is a hot topic right now in sports," Cooks said. "So the way Coach [Payton] handled it, I respect him for that, and I thank him for that, just because the competitive nature for me just would be like, 'Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine.' But he did such a good job of making sure everything went smoothly before having me back out there."

Cooks said he did not recall suffering any head injury during last Sunday's 41-38 loss to the Carolina Panthers and felt fine throughout the game and during Monday's workouts.

"It was Wednesday when I was feeling a little different," Cooks said. "So I spoke up and Coach handled it the right way."

Payton explained the process the same way, saying Cooks felt better Thursday, but the team sat him out of practice and had another appointment with the doctors.

"We were just trying to be maybe a little bit conservative or overly cautious with it," Payton said. "But he'll be playing."

That's good news for a Saints offense that just lost its other top playmaker earlier this week when running back Mark Ingram was placed on injured reserve with a rotator cuff injury. The Saints' entire receiving corps should be intact at Tampa Bay. No. 2 receiver Willie Snead is also listed as probable after practicing on a limited basis all week. Snead missed last week's game with a calf injury.

Two players were ruled out for the Saints -- guard Jahri Evans (ankle) and nose tackle John Jenkins (concussion). Everyone else on the Saints' injury report is listed as probable, including top cornerback Delvin Breaux (hamstring), linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (hip) and offensive tackles Terron Armstead (knee) and Zach Strief (shoulder).