Broncos TE Julius Thomas (ankle) did not participate in the team's post-bye-week practice on Monday.  Thomas injured his ankle back in Week 8 and did not return to that game.  We know x-rays and an MRI came back negative, but the Broncos haven't provided any other information.  Consider Thomas questionable for Week 10 and check back Wednesday for another update.

Broncos HC John Fox revealed that an MRI and x-rays on TE Julius Thomas' ankle came back negative.  It sounds like he avoided a significant injury.  Denver has a Week 9 bye, which comes at a good time for Thomas. Tentatively expect him to be ready for Week 10.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Thomas does not have a high-ankle sprain.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas suffered an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game.  His return is considered questionable.  It's worth noting that Thomas has dealt with ankle problems over the past 2 years.  We'll update his status when we learn more.

Updating a previous report, Broncos LT Ryan Clady will be placed on IR with the Lisfranc injury he sustained in Week 2.  Denver was originally hoping to get Clady back later this season.  It's a massive loss.  Clady graded out as the league's 4th-best OT last year, per Pro Football Focus.  He'll be replaced by Chris Clark.  The former undrafted free agent played just 72 snaps as a swing tackle last year.  The situation is worth monitoring, but if anyone can handle it, it's Peyton Manning.  Few guys have a better combination of protection, pocket awareness and quick release.

Broncos LT Ryan Clady suffered a Lisfranc injury in Sunday's win over the Giants.  He'll miss "at least a few weeks," per ESPN's Adam Schefter.  It's obviously bad news for QB Peyton Manning and Denver's pass-catchers.  But Manning has supreme awareness and underrated pocket mobility.  He should be just fine.

We knew Broncos TE Julius Thomas had big-time talent.  We weren't sure if he'd see enough targets to be a fantasy factor.  That doesn't look like it'll be an issue.  Thomas saw 7 looks on Thursday night -- tied with Eric Decker for 3rd on the team.  He hauled in 5 of them for 110 yards and 2 scores.  Perhaps the most encouraging stat: Thomas was on the field for all 74 of Denver's offensive snaps.  That means the team trusts him as a run and pass blocker.  Of course, it's never wise to over-react to a Week 1 performance (see: Kevin Ogletree, 2012).  Thomas will have some quiet games because of all the mouths to feed in Denver.  But there are only a handful of TEs who bring week-to-week reliability.  And Thomas will boast top-5 upside every time he takes the field.  He's well worth rostering across fantasy formats.

The Denver Post reports that Broncos TE Julius Thomas was arrested in August for failing to show at his court date for a misdemeanor traffic violation.  This incident doesn't look like a big deal on its own and shouldn't affect Thomas' on-field or fantasy outlook -- as long as it doesn't serve to foreshadow further off-field issues.  Thomas looks like an exciting young upside player at 1 of fantasy football's deepest positions.

The Broncos announced Saturday that they will start RB Ronnie Hillman and TE Julius Thomas in Thursday night's opener against the Ravens.  Neither comes as a big surprise, but it's nice for fantasy owners to have those decisions official.  Each player should probably climb in upcoming fantasy football drafts from his current ADP.  Hillman sits #43 among RBs at FF Calculator right now, with a 10.03 ADP.  Thomas doesn't even show up among the 18 ranked TEs.  He's a nice late flier as your 2nd TE if you have an every-week starter.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas continues to create buzz this summer.  He's been running with the 1st-team offense as TE Joel Dreessen sits with knee problems.  Thomas hauled in 4 balls for 35 yards in Denver's preseason opener.  "He continues to make plays in practice, and he made some nice catches (against the 49ers)," QB Peyton Manning said. "So I think he'll just continue to improve and I think he can be a big part of the offense this year."  It's always worth listening when Manning talks a player up.  But it's tough to imagine Thomas playing a significant role on an offense that features Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker.  Thomas could emerge as Denver's most productive TE this season, but that'd still likely make him just a low-end TE2.

Denver's top 2 TEs are both sidelined with injuries.  Joel Dreessen is expected to miss at least a couple weeks with knee problems.  Jacob Tamme is dealing with a bum quad.  That's allowed TEs Julius Thomas and Virgil Green to see 1st-team action.  Both guys were drafted back in 2011 but have combined for just 9 catches.  Thomas, a 4th-round pick, is the more athletic of the 2.  He's been working as the "move" TE in camp.  Green, a 7th-rounder, has been playing as a more traditional in-line TE.  Thomas would appear to have the most upside, but we'll continue to keep an eye on the pecking order over the next month.  The 2 youngsters are much better dynasty options than redraft, though.  There won't be many targets to go around this year in Denver's loaded pass-catching corps.

The Broncos still have high hopes for TE Julius Thomas.  The 2011 4th-round pick had his rookie campaign washed out by an ankle injury.  He was buried on the depth chart last year, playing just 2 offensive snaps.  Thomas was never expected to make an early impact though.  He's a converted basketball player who played just 1 season of college football at Portland St.  But HC John Fox says Thomas showed improvement towards the end of last season.  "There's a guy that virtually I don't think anybody knows about, but he's a young guy that's going to be a good player," Fox said.  Unfortunately, there are just too many mouths to feed in Denver this coming season.  Thomas is a long shot to make a fantasy impact.  But he remains a fine hold in dynasty leagues.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas underwent surgery last week to repair ligament damage in his ankle.  He won't do much in OTAs but is expected to be ready for training camp.  A raw prospect, Thomas appeared in just 5 games and caught only 1 pass last year.  After Denver's additions of TEs Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen this offseason, Thomas will once again be an afterthought.

Broncos TE Julius Thomas went down with a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's game against the Bengals.  The athletic rookie was more of a dynasty league stash anyways, so fantasy rosters shouldn't really be impacted here.  Thomas should be back for the 2nd half of the season.

When the Broncos drafted TE Julius Thomas in the 4th-round of this past April's draft, they weren't expecting to see immediate returns.  The former basketball player didn't play college football until his senior year at Portland State.  But Thomas has quickly transitioned to the NFL game and appears capable of making an instant impact.  Broncos insider Andrew Mason called Thomas a "revelation," adding that he's looked "more refined and polished than could possibly have been expected."  Thomas flashed in Denver's 3rd preseason game -- hauling in 4 balls for 70 yards -- and is expected to be the team's primary pass-catching TE this year.  "He’ll create some mismatches for us," OC Mike McCoy said.  Thomas shouldn't yet be considered a fantasy option, but he's definitely on our radar.  And he'd be a great guy to stash in dynasty and keeper leagues.

Broncos rookie TE Julius Thomas led the team with 4 catches for 70 yards in Saturday night's preseason game against the Seahawks.  The former basketball player has the size (6'5, 255 pounds) and athleticism to make some noise.  But it's a crowded TE picture in Denver, with Daniel Fells, Donte Rosario, and Virgil Green also in the picture.  We're keeping Thomas on our radar, but he's only an option in keeper and dynasty leagues at this point.

The Broncos selected TEs Julius Thomas and Virgil Green in rounds 5 and 7 respectively. These are a couple guys to get excited about. Both are freakish athletes with basketball backgrounds. And both will have a chance to showcase their talent in the NFL. Denver doesn’t have any viable options at the position, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the two starting come Week 1.