Thomas (shoulder), Meyers (thumb) will play Week 2

Shipley mentions the Commanders and Rams as wideout-desperate teams who might be interested in trading for Thomas before the NFL’s trade deadline. The Jaguars have apparently soured on the one-time burgeoning star in recent weeks; against the Texans in Week 6, Thomas ran a pass route on just 28 percent of the Jags’ drop backs and saw two targets. The Commanders, meanwhile, lost Terry McLaurin to a potentially long-term knee injury on Monday night. Thomas, per Shipley, “is not a trade that would make a ton of sense for a Commanders team that might be losing a ton of games and needs their picks to rebuild ... but it would make sense for a general manager who needs to keep his job to give his quarterback a familiar and talented target. Daniels was Thomas’ quarterback during their final seasons at LSU, and the connection between the two could go a long-way toward solving some of Washington’s long-term issues at the wide receiver position.” BTJ’s fantasy prospects would get a big boost if he were to land in Washington in the coming weeks.

Coen benched Thomas for the entire second half after he had one drop and two non-catches in the first against Houston. It sure seems like the runway for Thomas is running out in Jacksonville. A potential trade is the only fantasy salvation coming for the third-year receiver as he looks buried here.

That’s three games with three or fewer targets and Thomas Jr. has put up back-to-back bagels in London, apparently distraught over the local cuisine. He absolutely does not have to be rostered in most fantasy leagues through Jacksonville’s Week 7 bye.

This game started with Jaguars defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. getting ejected on the opening kickoff. He would go on to catch as many passes as his wide receiver doppelganger. BTJ nearly saved face with a late touchdown, but he failed to drag his back foot and stepped out of bounds for an incompletion. Josh Cameron, the team’s WR4, saw six targets. Thomas Jr. simply doesn’t have much of a role in this offense anymore. He will be the subject of trade speculation in the coming weeks. That seems to be his only path to meaningful fantasy production.

Though he was still No. 3 in wide receiver snaps agains the Bengals, Thomas saw more snaps this week than his 23-snap game against the Patriots last week. He out-snapped Josh Cameron 38-to-22 and caught Trevor Lawrence’s sole touchdown pass of the afternoon. Despite the score, Thomas’ lesser role relegates him to the WR3 spot in the Jaguars offense as he tied for fourth in targets against the Bengals. Thomas is a touchdown-dependent fantasy play and should be in the WR5 range for Week 5 against the Eagles.

Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley believes that Cameron’s usage (23 snaps) could make it “stand[s] to reason Thomas could quickly become the fourth option instead” in a column that says he believes a “new start would be best for both parties.” It sounds like there’s a non-zero chance that Thomas is on the trade block at the deadline, as weird as that seems given how good the Jaguars have been on offense. Thomas isn’t necessarily someone who has to be rostered in shallow leagues given how things are trending.

After back-to-back 40-yard outings as the Jaguars’ No. 2 receiver, Thomas bottomed out on a low-volume day for the Jacksonville offense. Jakobi Meyers led the Jags with nine targets while Parker Washington saw five looks; both wideouts scored a touchdown against an overmatched Pats secondary. Thomas’ usage has been spotty even in two-receiver sets so far this season. That leaves him as an iffy flex play week to week. He could benefit from a potentially high-scoring game in Week 4 against the Bengals. In shallower leagues he should stay on the bench for the time being.

Thomas had a couple drops in this one and once again seemed not to be on the same page as Trevor Lawrence. Parker Washington led the Jaguars with a dozen targets and was clearly Lawrence’s preferred target. The highlight of Thomas’ day came on a 22-yard grab. BTJ’s downfield role in the Jacksonville offense means he will be a high variance weekly play in 12-team leagues. He some some flex appeal for Week 3 against a tough New England secondary.

The Jaguars are seemingly just managing Thomas’ reps after their X-receiver aggravated his shoulder injury in Week 1 against the Browns. Thomas remains a volatile WR3/FLEX playing in a productive, if crowded, offense.

Thomas Jr. left the Jags’ Week 1 win over the Browns in the first half, though he eventually got back on the field after halftime. It’s believed to be a reaggravation of the shoulder injury he dealt with during training camp. While Liam Coen has already said he expected BTJ to play in Week 2, a lingering shoulder injury isn’t going to do him any favors as he attempts to bounce back from a quiet Week 1. Thomas Jr. will be stuck at the back of the WR3 ranks for his date with the Broncos on Sunday.