The good news this season is that New Orleans Saints veteran receiver Michael Thomas is healthy. The bad news is that with the Saints’ offense stuck in low gear, it’s put a hard cap on his performance. Could that change this week when the Saints travel to face the New England Patriots in Week 5?
Fantasy Football analysis: Saints WR Michael Thomas
Last week in a loss to the Bucs, Thomas had four catches for 53 yards on six targets. A big part of the problem in that game was that Derek Carr was playing with an injured shoulder and his downfield throws were limited and not especially accurate. But Thomas’ performance has been hovering around those numbers in all four games so far. His season high was a 61-yard outing in Week 1. He’s yet to find the end zone too, which is part of a bigger problem with the team—the Saints have just two passing touchdowns in four games.
Start or sit in Week 5 PPR leagues?
The silver lining here is that Thomas is still seeing plenty of targets, an average of eight per game. He’s caught 22 of 32 passes that have come his way. The Patriots are a middle-of-the-road pass defense, which helps give him value as a WR3 this week. The thing to watch here is Carr’s status. If his shoulder injury is improving, that means Thomas’ ceiling is higher.
Start or sit in Week 5 standard leagues?
It’s harder to make the case the Thomas in standard leagues that don’t reward receptions, especially your typical 12-team leagues. There’s always the potential for Thomas to score, and he seems to have established a five-point floor this season. He’s fine as a WR3 or flex in most leagues and definitely belongs in your lineup if you’re in a larger league or one with deeper rosters.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Michael Thomas
Jerry Jeudy has been in a similar situation to Thomas so far this season, but he’s starting to see more looks in that Denver offense and he’s playing the Jets this week. Drake London of the Falcons isn’t putting up big yardage totals, but he is finding the end zone, which gives him some upside this week against the Texans.