Brian Thomas Jr. Gearing Up For A Bounce Back?

What They're Saying

More from Shipley on Thomas: "He has produced several field-stretching big plays in each of the open practices, and it is clear the Jaguars are making a concentrated effort to get Thomas and Trevor Lawrence on the same page entering 2026. ... He has been the most explosive part of the early stages of the Jaguars' passing game work."

HC Liam Coen: "I've been very pleased with the way that he has attacked this offseason, the way that he takes the meeting room to the practice and how that's looked."

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

Thomas told the media on Monday that he's feeling much healthier after dealing with wrist, shoulder, and ankle injuries last year. "It doesn’t hurt to run," he said.

That's step one for a bounce back.

Step two is improving the efficiency that cratered last year. After averaging 9.6 yards per target and 2.45 yards per route as a rookie, he sunk to 7.8 and 1.50 last year. Those 2025 marks ranked 45th and 36th, respectively, among 76 WRs with 50+ targets.

We're betting on a rebound in those numbers considering how good Thomas was as a rookie and how strong a prospect he was.

But step three for a bounce back is earning more volume. Thomas went from a 24.4% target share in 2024 to 18.6% last year. This step will be the toughest considering how deep the Jaguars' pass-catching corps is. WR Parker Washington, WR Jakobi Meyers, and TE Brenton Strange are all back.

Thomas lands just 41st among WRs in our PPR rankings, although his ceiling ranks 30th. He's most likely to be a volatile weekly producer, especially if he stays in the downfield role he played last year (14.5-yard average target depth).