Week 7 vs. Houston
Even though Trevor Siemian threw the ball 50 times in the loss at San Diego last Thursday, Demaryius Thomas finished with five grabs for just 35 yards and a costly fumble that pretty much sealed the game. He was targeted a team-high 10 times, but with Siemian battling a sore shoulder, he wasn’t able to get the ball downfield to his WRs. With the extra time off, Trevor should be better on Monday night, which should lead to a more productive outing from Demaryius. Thomas has scored three times and registered at least 90 yards in half of the six games so far and should be started, even against the league’s No. 2 pass defense.
Week 6 at San Diego
In what was a disappointing outing for most of the game for Demaryius Thomas’ owners last week at home versus the Falcons, it was saved by a late short TD reception, in which the WR just got the ball over the goal line. With Paxton Lynch at QB, on seven targets (for the fourth straight game), Demaryius caught five passes for 49 yards and scored for the third consecutive week. While Emmanuel Sanders has more targets, receptions and yards than Thomas in ’16, each has three touchdowns. Despite the short week, No. 88 and the Denver offense should be better with Trevor Siemian calling the signals at San Diego on Thursday night.
Week 5 vs. Atlanta
After scoring an 11-yard touchdown on the first offensive play last week against the Buccaneers, Demaryius Thomas finished with six grabs for a team-high 94 yards. He has scored in two straight and has registered at least 90 yards in the past three. Regardless of who the Denver QB is on Sunday, Demaryius is a must-start and should continue to reward fantasy owners with good numbers.
Week 4 at Tampa Bay
Complain and you will be rewarded. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were upset with the Broncos offense, but that all changed last Sunday in Cincinnati. Demaryius finished with six grabs for 100 yards and his first TD of the season, a game-clincher that covered 55 yards. Now that Trevor Siemian proved he can throw it over defenses who crowd the box, look for the Tampa D to take a different approach, which may lead to more runs from the Broncos. In any event, there is no reason you’re leaving Thomas on your bench.
Week 3 at Cincinnati
Despite battling a sore hip, Demaryius Thomas caught five passes for 90 yards versus Indianapolis last week. Demaryius nearly broke a WR screen for a score, but was caught after a 44-yard gain. Had he not been slowed by the hip injury, Thomas may have taken it all the way. Even through QB Trevor Siemian and the game plan is featuring a lot of short throws, No. 88 is still a viable weapon and should remain in your starting lineup.
Week 2 vs. Indianapolis
With Trevor Siemian throwing mostly short passes against the Panthers last Thursday, Demaryius Thomas was held to four grabs for 48 yards and a bruised hip. Siemian completed just 18 passes in the victory, to five different receivers. Emmanuel Sanders led the Broncos in targets (eight) and receptions (five), but none of the pass-catchers had a big night. The game plan will likely continue to feature a ball-control offense, which could stifle Demaryius’ numbers, but he’s too big of a weapon to leave on your bench, especially after watching the Lions’ passing game torch the Colts last Sunday.
Week 1 vs. Carolina
With the change of QB to Trevor Siemian, Demaryius Thomas may see a bit of a drop in targets and receptions this year. While the Broncos aerial attack shouldn’t see a huge dip with the new signal-caller, a run-first game plan will affect overall stats. Despite being targeted six times in the Super Bowl versus Carolina, Demaryius was held to just one catch. He luckily won't have to worry about Josh Norman this week, but it's tough to view Thomas as a WR1 against Carolina.
Fantasy Upside
Coming off what many called a down year for Demaryius Thomas, he still finished with 105 grabs for 1,305 yards (both seventh in the league) and six scores. It was the second straight 100-reception season. He is in great shape this season at 222 pounds and plans to stay at that weight instead of adding to it as the season goes along, something he’s done in the past.
Fantasy Downside
Even with the 105 catches, Demaryius has been criticized for his drops – a career-high 17 (11 according to Thomas). While Peyton Manning was far from his best last year, the run-oriented Broncos will feature either Marc Sanchez or Trevor Siemian at QB for likely most of the season.
Bottom Line
Demaryius is still the top weapon in the Denver passing game and should have another spectacular season. He has not missed a game the past four seasons, each time finishing with over 90 grabs and 1,300 yards. He has averaged 12 touchdowns per season during that span and should be near double-digit TDs in ’16. Even with the QB uncertainty, Thomas remains a top NFL WR.
Super Bowl vs. Carolina
Demaryius Thomas has been a bit of a forgotten part of the Denver offense in the playoffs, as he has only six grabs for 52 yards in the two contests. It’s not for a lack of targets, as Peyton Manning has come Demaryius’ way 15 times in the post-season. Thomas caught over 100 passes and six TDs during the regular season and will need to have a big game against a solid Carolina defense if the Broncos are to hoist the Lombardi trophy.
AFC Championship vs. New England
In last week’s win over Pittsburgh, Demaryius Thomas was targeted eight times by Peyton Manning, leading to four grabs for 40 yards. Thomas had an early drop, something Denver receivers struggled with for most of the game. With Brock Osweiler at QB against the Patriots in November, on 13 targets, Demaryius caught just one pass for 36 yards. The Broncos will need much more out of No. 88 in the rematch.
