Chandler Due Back Sunday

Quarterback Chris Chandler of the Atlanta Falcons is expected to start Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams after sitting out Monday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys because of a strained hamstring.

Chandler’s return comes as last season’s NFC champions look to avoid dropping to 0-3 after losses to the Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings.

The Falcons are also now playing without star running back Jamal Anderson, who will sit out the rest of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Monday.

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The Arizona Cardinals resolved two long, often-bitter contract disputes when defensive tackle Mark Smith accepted the team’s minimum offer and rookie offensive tackle L.J. Shelton agreed to a five-year deal.

Smith accepted the $325,000 tender offer minus the salary he would have received for the two games he missed. That means the third-year pro will get just under $285,000, far less than the more than $1 million he had originally demanded.

“He said he was ready to play football,” Smith’s agent, Gil Thompson, said. “It was an instinctive type of thing.”

Shelton, the No. 21 overall pick from Eastern Michigan and son of former NBA player Lonnie Shelton, is the last first-round draft choice to sign. Terms were not revealed, and his agent, Lamont Smith, did not return calls to his office.