Michael Thomas DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton says that rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant, who the team took at No. 74 overall in the third round in last week's NFL draft, reminds him of former New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas. "(Bryant) has just a lot of traits that Mike had," Payton said. "Especially at the line of scrimmage." Bryant was a surprise top-75 pick because of his lack of speed -- he ran the second-slowest 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds) at the combine among receivers. While the 22-year-old didn't show off-the-charts athleticism, the Broncos think he'll bring an edge to the receiver room and push second-year players Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin in the passing attack. The 6-foot-2, 204-pounder had 17 touchdowns at Illinois in his last two seasons. Behind WR1 Courtland Sutton, Bryant will be competing with Vele, Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr. for playing time in his first year in the NFL.

The National Football League on Wednesday announced that it has lifted the suspension of free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was suspended for the first game of the 2024 NFL season for an incident with a construction worker near his home last year. The fact that the 31-year-old remained without a team all offseason is a sign that he may struggle to latch on with an organization despite the fact that he's past his one-game suspension. Just several years ago, Thomas was the best receiver in the league, but injuries have limited him to 20 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and he played in just 10 games with the New Orleans Saints last year before a knee injury ended his season. He caught 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Thomas belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues and is unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024.

The NFL suspended free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas (knee) for the first week of the 2024 regular season for violating the league's personal-conduct policy related to an incident with a construction worker from last fall. Things continue to get worse for Thomas, who was the best receiver in the NFL as recent as 2019. While it's only a one-game suspension, it's not going to help the 31-year-old veteran's cause as he looks to find a new team for the 2024 season. He was cut by the New Orleans Saints back in March after catching 39 of his 64 targets for 448 yards and just one touchdown. A knee injury limited Thomas to only 10 games (seven starts), and he hasn't played in over 10 games in a season since his All-Pro campaign in 2019. Even if Thomas does land with another team, he will merely be competing for a depth role.