Week 8 vs. Chicago Bears
Michael Thomas caught 7-of-11 passes for 82 yards in the Saints' Week 7 win over the Packers. Thomas has racked up 80 yards in four of New Orleans' six games but has yet to have that breakout Sunday that carries fantasy owners for a week. That day should be coming sooner rather than later.
Thomas is currently dealing with a knee injury but was able to return to practice on Thursday and the ailment shouldn't keep him out on Sunday when the Saints host the Bears. Ranked as our No. 5 WR, view Thomas as a WR1 for Week 8.
Week 7 at Green Bay Packers
Michael Thomas handed fantasy owners a dud last week when he caught just 3-of-6 targets for 11 yards in the Saints’ Week 6 win over the Lions. Thomas had racked up at least 87 yards in his last three games so the performance is nothing for fantasy owners to be concerned about. Thomas will be a WR1 when the Saints visit the Packers on Sunday. He ranks as our No. 6 WR for Week 7.
Week 6 vs. Detroit Lions
Michael Thomas caught 8-of-11 targets for 89 yards and a touchdown in the Saints’ Week 4 win over the Dolphins in London. Thomas has yet to go over 100 yards this season but he has posted at least 85 yards in three consecutive games. He also has a touchdown in his last two contests. The Lions own the No. 9 defense against fantasy wide receivers but Thomas is a weekly WR1. Ranked as our No. 4 WR, make sure Thomas is in your lineup.
Week 4 at Miami Dolphins (game in London)
Michael Thomas caught 7-of-8 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' Week 3 win over the Panthers. He caught 5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown on New Orleans' opening drive, but then fell quiet. He's now averaging 11.2 points per game in standard formats and 17.62 in PPR leagues.
Ranked as our WR6 for Week 4, view Thomas a WR1 for the Saints' Sunday morning matchup against the Dolphins in London. He and Drew Brees should shred Miami's horrendous secondary.
Week 3 at Carolina Panthers
Michael Thomas hauled in 5-of-10 targets for 89 yards in the Saints’ Week 2 loss to the Patriots. Fortunately for owners, Thomas came alive in the second half after the Patriots kept him quiet in the first. He caught a 33-yard pass down the sideline in the second quarter before adding a few more grabs after halftime. Thomas owners might be frustrated now, but the key is he’s already seen 18 targets in two games. The volume is there and the production is soon to follow.
The Saints travel to Carolina on Sunday to take on a Panthers team ranked as fantasy’s No. 6 defense against wide receivers. Even in a tough matchup, Thomas ranks as our WR7 in Week 3. Fire him up as a WR1 for Sunday.
Week 2 vs. New England Patriots
Michael Thomas caught 5-of-8 targets for 45 yards in the Saints’ Week 1 loss to the Vikings. He led the team with 8 targets, but the Saints were shut down by an outstanding Minnesota defense. Thomas, who saw some time against Vikings’ cornerback Xavier Rhodes, draws another tough matchup against Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler, as the Saints play host to the Patriots at home. That said, this game has the highest over/under total in Vegas this week, as oddsmakers expect a shootout. Ranked as our WR3 for Week 2, view Thomas as a legitimate WR1 for Sunday.
Week 1 at Minnesota Vikings
Michael Thomas burst on the season as a rookie last season, catching 92 passes for 1,137 yards and 9 touchdowns. The performance was good enough for Thomas to finish as fantasy’s No. 9 receiver. With Brandin Cooks now in New England, Thomas is once again locked in as Drew Brees’ favorite target.
The Saints have a difficult matchup on Monday night when they visit the Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings rank as fantasy’s No. 2 defense against wide receivers and own a pair of solid corners in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. That said, Sean Payton does an excellent job of moving Thomas around in his offense, and the second-year wideout will see plenty of targets from Brees. Ranked as our No. 8 receiver in Week 1, fire up Thomas as a low-end WR1.
Fantasy Upside
As a rookie in 2017, Michael Thomas recorded 92 catches for 1,137 yards and 9 touchdowns on a team-high 121 targets. He finished as fantasy's WR9 by total points last season and is poised to produce elite WR1 numbers again this year. The Saints are so confident Thomas can be their No. 1 receiver that they traded Brandin Cooks to the Patriots this offseason. Granted, the team added deep threat Ted Ginn Jr. to help replace Cooks, but Ginn will simply be a role player. Did we mention Thomas also benefits from playing in Sean Payton's explosive offense alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees?
Fantasy Downside
The only downside to Thomas is long term in that Brees may only have another year or two before his production falls off a cliff. Other than that, there's no downside to Thomas in 2017, provided he stays healthy.
2017 Bottom Line
Thomas is a bona fide WR1. He wound up being the perfect replacement for Marques Colston in the Saints offense and he quickly emerged as Brees' go-to target in the red zone. It's difficult to project touchdowns in fantasy, but neither Ginn nor Willie Snead have Thomas' size to work near the red zone. With Cooks now in Foxboro, look for Brees to feed Thomas all season long. That said, if you want Thomas this fall, you'll likely have to invest a second round pick on the sophomore. His current ADP in 10-team leagues is 2.05.
Week 17 at Atlanta
Michael Thomas caught six-of-eight targets for 98 yards in the Saints' Week 16 win over the Buccaneers. Thomas is now just 19 yards shy of 1,000 yards receiving in his excellent rookie season. He should notch those 19 yards against a Falcons team that ranks No. 26 against fantasy wide receivers. Thomas is our WR9 for Week 17, so fire him up as a WR1.
Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay
One week after sitting out of the Saints' loss to the Buccaneers due to a foot injury, rookie Michael Thomas returned to action last week and hauled in seven-of-10 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. He didn't create any big plays, but he did save fantasy owners by snatching a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Ranked as our WR13 for Week 16, view Thomas as a solid WR2 option for when the Saints host the Bucs on Saturday.
