Week 11 vs Falcons
It's hard to say if Thomas is still feeling any effects of his injuries as he hasn't scored a touchdown since his return in Week 9. And that's with Drew Brees under center. Now, it's Taysom Hill. It's extremely difficult to tell how Hill will throw the ball. But if there's a receiver for Hill to trust, it's Michael Thomas. He's a flex option this week, but proceed with caution with the change at quarterback.
Week 10 vs 49ers
Thomas only played about 55 percent of snaps in his return to the field last week, but still saw six targets and caught five of them for 51 yards. Drew Brees is certainly happy to see Thomas back and that connection should grow again very soon. In last season's epic shootout, Thomas caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
The reigning receiving king in the NFL is back for another run. But he's going to have to fight this time around to be No. 1 again with a lot of strong competition and the fact the Saints have a viable No. 2 receiver to throw to now in Emmanuel Sanders.
He begins this run against the Buccaneers, who vastly improved their secondary in the draft with Antoine Winfield and have an up-and-coming cornerback in Sean Murphy-Bunting alongside third-year CB Carlton Davis. That said, Thomas has feasted against Tampa recently. His worst output in the last four games was 98 yards in Week 14 of 2018. The other three games have had lines of 8-114-1, 11-182-2 and 16-180-1. He's also posted 100+ yards in each of the last two season openers, a streak that could very well continue on Sunday.
Fantasy Upside
What more is there really to say about Michael Thomas? He was the No. 1 fantasy receiver by a wide margin over Chris Godwin in 2019, setting an NFL record with 149 receptions. He's arguably the best receiver in football (the players voted him as the best receiver and top-five overall on their top 100 list).
Fantasy Downside
The Saints actually have a legitimate second wide receiver opposite Thomas in Emmanuel Sanders. But that only means Thomas just won't hit 150 or probably even 140 catches, As our John Paulsen wrote in his draft notes: "Since 2000, there have been 18 receivers who have seen at least 180 targets and on average, the other 17 receivers saw their targets per game drop by an average of 18% the following year. That would put Thomas’s catches back in the 120-125 range if his catch rate holds. He’s still a solid pick in the first round, but owners shouldn’t expect another 149-catch season."
2020 Bottom Line
Thomas is a first-round pick. Period. Some may have him as the first receiver in fantasy, others may have guys such as Julio Jones or Davante Adams. Regardless, Thomas is going to be among the top of the list again, but he likely is going to be closer to the pack than he was in 2019.
Week 17 at Panthers
Michael Thomas undoubtedly won handfuls of fantasy leagues this season and might be a top-five pick in 2020 drafts. If you're still rolling in Week 17 and you have Thomas, at this point, we can't even try to come up with a reason to sit him. Thomas is going to try to will the Saints to a potential first-round bye and mercifully end the Panthers' season Sunday.
Week 16 at Titans
Tennessee is below-average against the pass and was just beat twice for touchdowns by Kenny Stills. Now they get Michael Thomas, who is about to break the single-season catch record. Start Michael Thomas and roll towards a fantasy crown.
Week 15 vs Colts
There's just no stopping Michael Thomas. Week 14 was simply a minor speed bump on Thomas' historic season. He came back emphatically with 11 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. Is there really anything to say here, if we're being honest? You're starting Thomas this week.
Week 14
The biggest sign the Saints' offense was not as effective as other weeks in Week 13 was Michael Thomas recording just 48 receiving yards on six catches and no touchdowns, his worst performance of the season. It was his first game under 100 yards since Week 6. You have to feel like the Saints will go right back to feeding Thomas the football, as he gives the Saints the best chance to knock off the 49ers. Don't stress over last week's result. Thomas will get his 10-plus targets as usual and likely finds the end zone again.
Week 13 at Falcons
What more is there to say about Michael Thomas? He’s the best receiver right now and is going to win some folks a fantasy championship. You almost can’t even come up with an argument against him. Even if you’re worried about how the Falcons dominated the Saints in Week 10, Thomas still had 13 catches for 152 yards.
Week 12 vs Panthers
As if Thomas's season couldn't have been any better, he rewrote the NFL history books last week by posting the most catches in the first 10 games of a season with 94. He's on a streak of four straight games with 100 yards and it wouldn't be surprising if he makes it five. He's the best.
