It seems that as the season draws near, Brian Thomas Jr. gets more hype. There was some buzz about him being a top ten wide receiver last year, but now he’s entering top-five discussions. With Christian Kirk gone, there will be tons of pressure put on Thomas Jr. to perform. Going into his second season out of LSU, is there maybe too much expectation placed on him now?
Brian Thomas Jr. 2024 Stats and Fantasy Production
Thomas Jr. had a bit of a slow start, but once he got going, he really balled out. The most important games to look at were games where both Kirk and Evan Engram were injured; in all of those games, Thomas Jr. finished as the WR1 of the week. In general, he had nine games in the season where he had 85+ yards.
Towards the end of the season, when he took a more central role, though, his numbers got really impressive. He never dropped below 15 fantasy points in any game from Week 13 onward. Thomas Jr. was used in a lot of ways by the Jaguars in the previous season; from long go routes to slants to screens, Thomas Jr. did them all.
Brain Thomas Jr. 2025 Fantasy Outlook
Brian Thomas Jr. should be projected to have a great season, but fantasy football players might need to pump the breaks on his hype just a bit. Right now, Thomas Jr. is ranked as the number four wide receiver on Fantasy Pros, which would indicate he should be drafted in the first round. Taking Thomas Jr. that early might be a mistake, though, and it’s not because of his performance, but rather his team’s.
Taking Thomas Jr. is still investing in Jacksonville’s offense, which isn’t one of the better ones in the NFL. He will have Trevor Lawrence throwing him the football, who only scored above 20 fantasy points twice last season. Thomas Jr. will also have to contend with Travis Hunter for targets. With all those things in consideration, there are other receivers who are going into better situations (Nico Collins, Malik Nabers, etc.). Therefore, Thomas Jr. might not be the ideal first-round pick that some fans are making him out to be. Once he falls to the second round, though, he’s a great player to take.
