Brian Thomas Jr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder) went down with a shoulder injury earlier this week at mandatory minicamp and was held out of the rest of the practice for precautionary reasons. On Thursday, Thomas returned and looked perfectly OK while being a full participant, according to SI.com's John Shipley. The 22-year-old second-year wideout will be just fine for the start of training camp in late July and should be considered a strong low-end WR1 with plenty of upside going into Year 2. The former 23rd overall pick was a Pro Bowler in his rookie campaign after catching 87 of 133 targets for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts). Thomas shouldn't have anything to worry about as far as being quarterback Travis Lawrence's top target after the team took two-way player Travis Hunter with the second overall pick.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen reports that wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder) is ok after leaving Wednesday's minicamp session with a shoulder injury. "He's fine. He absolutely could've gone back and played just bruised it a little bit," said Coen. He also noted that the 22-year-old was removed for precautionary reasons and was "completely cleared to play." Jacksonville can breathe a sigh of relief that their young, stud wideout avoided significant injury. It's still something to monitor, but it fortunately doesn't sound too serious. Barring health, Thomas Jr. is in an excellent position to build off a sensational rookie season that saw him produce a WR4 finish in PPR formats. Jacksonville's addition of Travis Hunter will dent his overall target upside, but shouldn't affect his production too much. The LSU product is a strong pick at the 1/2 turn in drafts.

After an impressive rookie season for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in 2024, new head coach Liam Coen is confident that the team can run things through Thomas again in 2025. Thomas set rookie franchise marks in catches (87), receiving yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10) to earn Pro Bowl and All-AFC honors. He's also a finalist for Rookie of the Year. Jacksonville relied more on Thomas after injuries to Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Evan Engram, and he delivered. Coen was impressed with the work that the 22-year-old did out of the slot. The Jaguars are going to build around quarterback Trevor Lawrence with Coen now the head coach, but Thomas is going to be a primary weapon after finishing third in the NFL in receiving yards in 2024. And with Coen running Jacksonville's offense now, Thomas is going to be drafted as a surefire WR1 in fantasy drafts this fall.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. earned double-digit targets and topped the century mark in yards yet again in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Ever since Mac Jones took over at quarterback in Week 13 for the injured Trevor Lawrence, he has made it his mission to find BTJ. That has allowed the rookie first-round receiver out of LSU to thrive. While he didn't find the end zone, he still finished with seven catches for 103 yards, a great stat line for fantasy, especially in PPR. BTJ has already developed into a sure-fire top receiver in the league, and his potential is sky-high for the future, no matter who is throwing him the ball. Expect even more WR1 fantasy performances from BTJ in the 2025 NFL season.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is a must-start once again against the Indianapolis Colts. The rookie receiver has been special of late. He has received double-digit targets in each of the last five games, finishing the season strong and looking like a future bonafide alpha receiver. If not for a bit of a slow start and a better offensive situation around him, BTJ could have more seriously challenged for offensive rookie of the year. Mac Jones will be his quarterback for one final game, which has surprisingly been fruitful for his overall production. After backup Drew Lock and rookie receiver Malik Nabers dominated the Colts in Week 17, backup quarterback Jones and rookie BTJ could easily reach similar heights. Start BTJ with zero hesitation in Week 18.