Brian

Thomas

Rest assured that Thomas will be “a key piece of head coach Liam Cohen’s offense,” but DiRocco seems to believe that Thomas’ complementary role will endure in 2026. DiRocco also notes that Thomas looked uncomfortable in training camp, setting the scene for an ugly early-season run. Thomas has had plenty of trade buzz from the outside this offseason, but a trade probably relies on another team evaluating him at his 2024 level rather than his 2025 level. If he remains in Jacksonville, it’s hard to count on him as more than a WR3 pick in 2026.

Half of Thomas Jr.'s receptions in this game and his touchdown came while Parker Washington, who led the team in all receiving categories, was on the sidelines for a concussion evaluation. Per usual, BTJ didn’t do much target-earning. That was one of his many issues in a frustrating 2025 season. Thomas Jr. went from 1,282 yards and 10 scores as a rookie to 707 yards and just two touchdowns, though he did add a rushing touchdown to the ledger. He also missed three games because of injuries, which was a constant concern. Even when Thomas Jr. was on the field, he seemed afraid of contact, often easing up on tough grabs, resulting in several drops and a poor contested catch rate. With Travis Hunter missing half of his rookie season, things could get even worse for BTJ next year. He finished 2025 as a fantasy WR4, even on a points-per-game basis. Fantasy managers will likely gamble on a rebound and take him as a high-risk WR3.

Thomas has become reliant on deep plays, making him an inconsistent fantasy weapon while Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers go off. It’s not how we’d use him, but the Jaguars do not care as long as they keep winning. Trevor Lawrence missed him on an open deep shot in the second half. Thomas briefly left the game around halftime to be checked for an ankle injury, but played through it. Don’t be surprised if he pops up on the injury report ahead of Week 18, but Thomas will be a startable WR3 against the Titans.

It was easily a career mark for Washington, who had five catches in just one game since the start of November before Sunday’s explosion against an elite Denver defense. Washington’s biggest play of the day came on an impressive 63-yard catch and run that gave Jacksonville one of their six red zone possessions on the day. Washington, getting open time and again and showing chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, dominated with a team-leading 147 air yards. He ran a route on 32 of the Jaguars’ 47 drop backs. Washington will be a usable flex option in Week 17 against the Colts.

Thomas was an afterthought in this one, as Parker Washington led the Jaguars in targets, receiving yards, and air yards. Thomas, again showing no chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, was targeted on six percent of his pass routes, losing the air yards-heavy role he had seen over the previous three games. He still has just two touchdowns in 2025. Thomas will be a touchdown or big play-dependent WR3/4 play in Week 17 against the Colts.

This was Thomas’ second straight “pretty good” game, though “pretty good” was not what fantasy managers were signing up for in the second round. Astoundingly, his four catches were his most since Week 6. We are getting signs of life from one of the season’s biggest fantasy disappointments, but not performances that say he needs to be jammed back into your WR2 spot. That is especially true for tough matchups like next week’s date with the Broncos in Denver.

The good news is that BTJ’s performance almost felt normal. He had a sensational one-handed catch down the sideline, and added a second long catch that wasn’t overturned despite being close to a bobble on review. The bad news is that Trevor Lawrence threw 30 times and Thomas was only “in the picture” compared to Jakobi Meyers. He’s probably closer to the WR3 ranks than the WR2 ranks against the Jets in Week 15, and hasn’t scored a touchdown since October 12.

Thomas returned from his ankle injury to play a sizable 47-of-63 snaps against the Titans. He was third on the team in targets, trailing Jakobi Meyers and Brenton Strange. The Jaguars blew out the Titans in the win, so passing volume was low, though fantasy managers are likely not thrilled looking at his three total targets. The second-year receiver still has inconsistent rapport with Trevor Lawrence and may be falling behind Meyers in the pass-catching pecking order. Another week to work back from the ankle injury will perhaps show more; Thomas is a low-end fantasy WR2 for Week 14 against a Colts team likely missing Sauce Gardner.

He practiced in full on Thursday and Friday after missing the last three games. Thomas will be on the WR2 line in his return against the Titans, though that’s more due to the idea of volume than anything Thomas and Trevor Lawrence have shown on the field together this year.

Thomas is seemingly on track to retake the field this weekend against the Titans. While the matchup is hardly imposing, the Jaguars’ second-year wide receiver has been a colossal disappointment this season, and it is hard to believe his play will improve following a high-ankle sprain. He is theoretically a WR2.