Open Nav
Show Navigation
Show Menu

Brian Thomas Jr. Dynasty Value

By Jared Smola | Updated on Wed, 01 May 2024 . 11:50 AM EDT
Brian Thomas Jr. Dynasty Value: Elite downfield weapon

QUICK LINKS:

       

Thomas has all the tools to make an immediate impact as a deep-ball weapon and spike-week fantasy play.

  • Size
  • Speed
  • Ball Skills

But Thomas' dynasty value will ultimately hinge on whether he can develop into a complete receiver and command enough volume to be a consistent fantasy producer.

Is that a bet dynasty managers should be willing to make after Thomas went to Jacksonville in Round 1? Let's look for the answer ...

       

Brian Thomas Jr. Dynasty Values

Dynasty 1-qb Dynasty Superflex
Non-PPR 44.0 Non-PPR 28.4
PPR 42.6 PPR 32.7
TE Premium 42.2 TE Premium 32.8

To see Brian Thomas Jr.'s value for your exact league setup, check out our Dynasty Draft War Room.

       

Let Value Drive Your Drafting & Trading

Our Dynasty Draft War Room assigns dynamic player values based on your league’s specific settings.

Our Dynasty Draft War Room assigns dynamic player values based on your league’s specific settings.

These DMVP values range from 100 to 0. 

The most valuable player in your league gets a 100; 0 goes to the worst rostered player.

Use these values to compare players at the same position and across positions for help with draft, trade, and add/drop decisions.

Our Trade Value Charts compare players across positions -- as well as future rookie-draft picks and even startup picks.

Our Trade Value Charts use the same system to compare players across positions -- as well as future rookie-draft picks and even startup picks.

Whether you play superflex or 1-QB, PPR or otherwise, you can find a chart to fit your format. 

Did we mention tight end premium trade value charts?

          

Brian Thomas Jr. Draft Profile

Position: WR
Height: 6'3
Weight: 209
BMI:
26.1
Draft Age: 21.5
NFL Draft Pick: No. 23 overall


Draft Sharks Model Score: 7.87
Analytics Score: 0.73
Film Score: 0.47
Production Score: 0.58

Brian Thomas Jr. Combine Results

Wingspan Arm Length HAnd Size 40-yard Dash 10-yard split
79.5" 32.75" 9.75" 4.33 seconds 1.50 seconds
Bench Press Vertical Broad Jump 3-cone drill 20-yard shuttle
19 reps 38.5" 10'6 DNP DNP

Percentiles vs Combine wide receivers since 1999, per MockDraftable

     

Brian Thomas Jr. College Stats

games targets receptions rec yards yards per catch rec tds
2021 12 41 28 359 12.8 2
2022 13 48 31 361 11.6 5
2023 13 87 68 1,177 17.3 7

Multi-Sport High School Star

Thomas was a standout football and basketball player at Walker High School just outside of Baton Rouge. He racked up 1,789 receiving yards and 24 TDs over his final two seasons and was tabbed a four-star prospect.

Thomas opted to stay in-state at LSU over 15+ other scholarship offers, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Miami.

Thomas Finds Field as Freshman

Thomas made nine starts as a true freshman, finishing second among LSU WRs in snaps and third in routes – notably ahead of junior Trey Palmer and fellow freshman Malik Nabers.

His 28 receptions tied Nabers for fifth on the team. Thomas also ranked fifth in receiving yards, behind Nabers but ahead of Palmer.

Underwhelming Sophomore Season

Palmer departed for Nebraska in 2022, but it was Nabers who broke out as LSU’s top WR (72-1,017-3).

Thomas sat just the No. 4 WR in playing time. He ranked fourth on the team in catches and fifth in receiving yards.

His 5 TDs ranked second and made up 21.7% of the team total. But Thomas underwhelmed in Pro Football Focus grade and yards per route, falling outside the top 250 WRs in both metrics.

Junior Breakout

Thomas was a big part of a dominant LSU passing game this past year. The Tigers ranked third in passing yards and second in TDs, and QB Jayden Daniels won the Heisman.

Nabers remained the clear No. 1 WR, tallying 21 more catches and 392 more yards than Thomas. But Thomas led LSU – and the entire country – with 17 receiving TDs.

His market shares:

  • 23.8% of the receptions
  • 26.7% of the receiving yards
  • 38.6% of the receiving TDs

Dominant on Deep Balls

Thomas was used primarily as a deep threat. He registered a 13.9-yard average target depth, with 25.3% of his total targets coming 20+ yards downfield.

Thomas was dominant on those deep balls, hauling in 15 of 22 targets for 670 yards and 12 TDs. The catches, yards, and TDs were all top-3 marks in the nation. His six grabs of 40+ yards ranked sixth. Thomas was one of 24 WRs to score a 99.9 PFF receiving grade on targets of 20+ yards.

Not as Good on Shorter Stuff

He wasn’t nearly as impressive on short and intermediate routes, though. In fact, Thomas averaged just 1.18 yards per route on targets of less than 20 yards. Nabers, by comparison, averaged 2.34 yards per route on those targets.

Thomas’ 2.61 yards per route on the season trailed Nabers’ 3.64 but ranked 36th among 286 qualifying WRs in the country.

He ranked just 92nd in PFF receiving grade.

TIP

The Draft War Room is your fantasy football cheat sheet for dynasty rookie drafts. Sync your league today to see how Brian Thomas Jr. and the rest of the rookies rank in your league.

        

Brian Thomas Jr. Highlights

Games watched: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M

Thomas Loaded with Deep-Ball Tools

As his college numbers suggest, Thomas is at his best going deep.

He has all the tools to win downfield.

Speed

Thomas blazed a 4.33-second 40 time at the Combine and plays at least that fast. He regularly blew by college DBs with long-striding speed.

Elite speed will be the ultimate driver of Brian Thomas Jr.'s dynasty value.

Can Beat Press

Thomas has the size, athleticism, and footwork to defeat press coverage. And, when he does so, he has the burst to create instant separation.

On this rep, he uses a quick jab to elude a defender off the snap and then blows by him within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Brian Thomas Jr.'s dynasty value will be helped by his ability to defeat press coverage.

Ball Tracking

Thomas does a nice job adjusting to balls mid-flight and flashes impressive concentration and hands to make grabs away from his frame.

Brian Thomas Jr.'s ball-tracking skills will bolster his dynasty value.

Ball skills

I was most impressed by Thomas’ ball skills. When he doesn’t create big separation downfield, he has the athleticism to win by going over defenders and high-pointing the ball.

Brian Thomas Jr. vs Ole Miss

On this TD below, Thomas tracks the deep ball, slows his pace, and flashes 'late hands' to high-point the ball over the defender. Then he completes the catch to the ground despite contact. He's clearly not just a speedy, finesse receiver.

Brian Thomas Jr. vs Texas A&M

Here's another instance of Thomas fighting through contact for a score.

Brian Thomas Jr. vs Ole Miss

Per PFF, Thomas converted seven of 13 contested-catch opportunities last year.

Thomas' Ability After Catch is Mixed

Thomas’ speed and physicality are weapons after the catch. He can run away from defenders. And when he gets his 209-pound frame moving downhill, he builds enough momentum to bust through tackles.

What you won’t see Thomas do very often is make defenders miss. He’s more impressive in a straight line than he is laterally.

Thomas averaged 5.7 yards after catch per reception last year, which ranked 102nd among 286 qualifying WRs.

Route Running a Work in Progress

Thomas wasn’t asked to run a wide variety of routes at LSU. In fact, 56% of his targets last year came on ‘hitch’ or ‘go’ routes, according to PFF.

So he’s an inexperienced route runner at this point. But Thomas clearly has the size and speed to develop his separation skills.

 

Brian Thomas Jr. Team Fit: Jacksonville Jaguars

Thomas got Round 1 draft capital and landed in a nice spot for long-term fantasy upside.

QB Trevor Lawrence has underwhelmed so far vs. pre-draft expectations. But he's at least an above-average NFL starter who will be around for a while.

And there isn't a bonafide No. 1 WR on this Jaguars roster. WR Christian Kirk is best as a No. 2. And Gabriel Davis might not even be a No. 2.

There's nothing in Jacksonville that would prevent Thomas from hitting his ceiling.

In the shorter term, Thomas is a poor bet to out-target Kirk or TE Evan Engram. But both of those guys are undersized and sport below-average career TD rates. So Thomas could immediately play a big role in the red-zone and boast weekly TD upside for fantasy squads.

   

Dynasty Value Conclusion

Thomas is NFL-ready as a deep-ball weapon. He has the size, speed, and ball skills to make an immediate impact stretching the field. He'll at least be a valuable best ball asset as a rookie.

Thomas doesn't yet have the game to be a target hog or even an NFL team's lead WR. He wasn't very efficient on short and intermediate routes at LSU and is an inexperienced route runner.

What's the Dynasty Upside?

But Thomas, an early declare who will still be 21 when his rookie season kicks off, certainly has the raw ability to develop into a more complete WR. And if he does, he'll have a shot at WR1-level fantasy production.

Think something on the Nico Collins-Tee Higgins-George Pickens spectrum for upside.

See where Thomas is going in current startup dynasty ADP -- and best ball ADP.

       

Ready to go from a perennial rebuilder to a yearly contender?

Think you've got what it takes? Prove it. Subscribe to Draft Sharks and show the fantasy world you're not here to play games – you're here to win.

Become a Draft Sharks Insider for customized dynasty values.

Don't be a spectator; be a champion.

Hit that subscribe button or step aside for those hungry for victory. 

Not convinced? Explore the suite of dynasty tools that will serve as your exclusive analytics department. 

Draft Sharks - your unfair advantage.

How to Win Your Dynasty League

Learn the three main strategy points to become a winning dynasty manager:

Jared Smola Author Image
Jared Smola, Lead Analyst
Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and My Team tools. He currently ranks 1st among 133 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.
Your Personal Dynasty Analytics Department... We dig deeper for you.

We have the tools to help you manage your team like a real NFL GM. Coaches like Belichick, McVay, and Reid all have an entire analytics team at their disposal -- from Draft Night and through the offseason. Now you do too!

With tools that:

  1. Customize and sync to your league scoring. Plug-and-Play functionality.
  2. Auto-adjust during your draft(s) based on positional scarcity, player availability, and individual team needs.
  3. Look to the future with 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-yr projections.
  4. Contain detailed breakdowns for trade analysis, start-sit decisions, and waiver wire management.

We’ve built a whole suite of Dynasty Tools to help you draft, trade, and research like a champion. You're the manager. We're here to help.

Explore Your New Dynasty Tools »
Compare Plans » Compare Plans »