Jaguars TE Julius Thomas is set to undergo finger surgery after getting a 2nd opinion on Tuesday.  He's expected to miss about a month, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  That jibes with HC Gus Bradley's expectation that Thomas will be back for Week 4.  Missing 3 games is manageable for his fantasy owners.  But durability continues to be a major issue for Thomas, and we're not sure he'll be more than a low-end TE1 even when he returns.  He's not worth drafting until the double-digit rounds.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Jaguars TE Julius Thomas is expected to need surgery on a finger tendon.  He's going for a 2nd opinion on Tuesday, but the procedure would reportedly cost him 4-5 weeks.  GM David Caldwell confirmed the report.  "My understanding is that if he does need it, it only pushes him back a couple of weeks in terms of his return time," Caldwell said. "He was going to be 50-50 for the opener. We would hope if everything went well it should be four weeks from the surgery where he'd be back to full strength. Our most realistic case is he has surgery and he's back for Indy."  The Jaguars take on the Colts in Week 4, so for now, expect Thomas to miss the first 3 games of the season.  We should get another update tomorrow.  TE Mercedes Lewis figures to serve as Jacksonville's primary TE for as long as Thomas is out.  He's a low-upside TE2 that isn't worth rostering in the majority of fantasy leagues.

Jaguars TE Julius Thomas (hand) remains on track to be ready for the season opener, according to HC Gus Bradley.  Thomas has missed valuable practice time and the last 2 preseason games but should return as a key part of Jacksonville's passing game.  Note that Jags TEs combined for 12 catches in Friday night's exhibition.  Thomas projects as a lower-end TE1 but is a bit overvalued at his 7th-round ADP.

The Jaguars remain "optimistic" that TE Julius Thomas will be ready for Week 1, according to insider Ryan O'Halloran.  Thomas is dealing with a fracture to the top side of his hand and is currently in a cast.  He'll miss the rest of training camp and the preseason, which isn't ideal for a guy learning a new offense and working with a new QB.  It doesn't sound like Thomas is a lock to be ready for the start of the season, either.  Draft him only as a low-end TE1 -- albeit with upside.

Per multiple outlets, Jaguars TE Julius Thomas fractured a finger on his left hand Friday night against the Steelers. HC Gus Bradley reportedly deemed it a "stable fracture" that will keep Thomas out for the rest of the preseason. The TE is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, though. With Thomas already just on the fringe of TE1 territory, we're not moving him down the TE rankings. A dip in ADP might actually help Thomas become a better value in your fantasy football draft.

Jags TE Julius Thomas left Friday night’s preseason game with a hand injury. He was taken to the locker room for further evaluation, and we’ll update his status when more details emerge.

Jacksonville signed TE Julius Thomas to a 5-year deal worth $46 million. The contract calls for $24 million in guarantees. It's not a surprise, as the Thomas-to-Jacksonville rumors started days ago. The 26-year-old gives Blake Bortles a bona fide red zone weapon, but his health will be key. Over the past 2 seasons, he’s missed 5 games with knee and ankle injuries.  If healthy, Thomas looks poised for a top-5 season on target volume alone. 

Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson reports that Jacksonville has reached a deal with free-agent TE Julius Thomas, reportedly worth about $9 million per year. That sure seems like overpaying for a guy who has lost at least 2 games to injury in each of his 4 seasons. Jake Davidow of SportsInjuryPredictor.com pointed to the ankle Thomas fractured early in his career as a potential recurring trouble spot. Thomas has managed consecutive 12-TD seasons and will head into his age-27 campaign in 2015. We certainly expect a significant dip in his fantasy value moving from Peyton Manning to Blake Bortles, but the move at least helps the Jags QB by giving him another talented pass-catcher.

Insider Jason Cole hears that a deal between the Jaguars and TE Julius Thomas is "just about done."  Jacksonville, flush with cap space, has long been considered 1 of the favorites to land Thomas.  He'll be a significant pass-catching upgrade over TE Marcedes Lewis.  The Jags have assembled a talented supporting cast for QB Blake Bortles, with Thomas joining WRs Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns and potentially Justin Blackmon.  Bortles will be an intriguing QB2 in 2015 fantasy drafts.  Thomas' fantasy value, meanwhile, takes a significant hit without QB Peyton Manning.  We won't be interested in drafting him unless he gets to the 7th or 8th round of drafts -- and that seems unlikely.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas will be franchise-tagged today.  DT and the Broncos have been unable to agree on a long-term deal, but the team was never going to let him hit the open market.  The franchise tag will pay Thomas about $12.8 million in 2015.  That hefty number will make it difficult (impossible?) for Denver to re-sign TE Julius Thomas.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas is happy to get a week off to continue rehabbing his bum ankle.  “I definitely needed this bye," he said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’ll just give me an opportunity to focus on rehab. When you’re practicing and playing, it’s kind of hard. It’s a little bit of give and take. So this next week, it’ll be big for me from a recovery standpoint."  Thomas averaged 4 catches, 43 yards and better than a TD per game before the ankle injury.  In the 3 games since, he's averaged just 1.5 catches and 31.5 yards without a single score.  It's impossible to know just how close to 100% Thomas will be when Denver comes out of the bye.  That makes him 1 of the biggest risk/reward picks in your playoff fantasy draft.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) has put in 2 full practices so far this week.  It's the 1st time he's put in 2 straight full practices since injuring his ankle in Week 11.  It looks like Thomas is approaching 100% health after being limited in his first 2 games back.  He remains a risky fantasy starter until we see him back in his early-season role, but you know the upside when he is a full-go.  Thomas gets Cincinnati's 16th-ranked TE defense on Monday night.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas was on the field for just 29 of 66 offensive snaps against the Chargers on Sunday.  That 44% snap rate is well below the 90-95% he was playing early in the season.  That ankle is obviously still an issue.  Thomas finished Week 15 with just 1 catch for 30 yards on 2 targets.  We'll monitor his practice participation this week, but he'll be a risk/reward fantasy starter for Week 16.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) is active for today’s game against the Chargers. An emergency option last week, Thomas is actually expected to play in today’s showdown. There’s still risk in starting him in fantasy, but Thomas’ upside makes him worth getting in fantasy lineups unless you have another top-5 option.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) is probable for Sunday’s game against the Chargers. It’s an upgrade over last week, when he was listed as questionable and ended up not playing a single snap. Signs point to Thomas actually getting on the field for this weekend’s big game. There’s still risk in using him in fantasy, but there’s also plenty of upside.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) plans to play against the Chargers this Sunday after being active only as an emergency option last weekend.  "I'm looking forward to this week," he said.  It's possible that Denver was always targeting Week 15's showdown with San Diego for Thomas' return.  There's still some risk in starting him in fantasy, but Thomas' upside makes him worth getting in lineups.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) was active for Sunday's game against the Bills .. but he wasn't active.  At all.  Thomas didn't play a single snap.  "If we needed him, we could have [played him]," HC John Fox said said after the win.  It sounds like Thomas was active as an emergency option only.  The good news is that he didn't suffer a setback and should theoretically be ready to actually play in Week 15.  We'll keep a close eye on his practice participation this week.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) is active for today's game against the Bills.  That ankle felt good enough in pregame warmups for him to give it a go.  Thomas' snaps might be limited, and there's always a chance that he aggravates the injury.  But if you waited for Thomas, get him in your lineup.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora does not expect TE Julius Thomas (ankle) to play against the Bills later today.  We won't find out his official status until around 3 pm ET, but Thomas should be on fantasy benches if you have a viable early-game option at TE.

Broncos insider Mike Klis confirms that TE Julius Thomas (ankle) is a true game-time decision for Sunday's tilt with the Bills.  Thomas put in 3 limited practices this week but remains unsure about his availability.  "I don't know, man," he said Friday. "I'm not sure yet."  We'll look for clues on Thomas' status tomorrow morning, but we might not know for sure until inactives are announced around 3 pm ET.  Note that Broncos backup TE Jacob Tamme (ribs) is questionable after only putting in 2 limited practices this week.