Fantasy Football News

WR Michael Thomas will not be back with the Saints in 2024. The New Orleans Times Picayune's Jeff Duncan wrote on Thursday that Thomas will be released. Thomas fired back on social media that he signed just a one-year deal with New Orleans last offseason and is simply becoming a free agent. ESPN's Kat Terrell reports that Thomas’ contract allows the team to either rework it or release him this offseason. Regardless of the details, Thomas will be playing for a team other than the Saints this season for the first time in his career. Injuries have limited him to just 20 games over the last four years. He averaged 4.2 catches and 49 yards over the first nine games of 2023 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Thomas turned 31 earlier this month. We'll see how much interest he draws on the open market and where he ultimately lands. Thomas no longer possesses an exciting fantasy ceiling, but we're not totally ruling out the possibility of him helping fantasy teams as a depth piece.

The Saints placed WR Michael Thomas on IR with his knee injury. He's out for at least the next four games, which makes Week 16 his earliest possible return date. Thomas would be tough to trust in fantasy lineups at that point. He can be dropped from redraft rosters. His absence should leave WRs Rashid Shaheed and rookie A.T. Perry in full-time roles. See where those guys sit in the Week 12 WR rankings.

Saints HC Dennis Allen called WR Michael Thomas' knee injury "fairly significant." He added that the injury isn't believed to be season-ending but that Thomas is getting a second opinion. The Saints have a Week 11 bye, but it sounds like we should expect Thomas to miss multiple games beyond that. He's droppable in most redraft fantasy leagues. Rookie WR A.T. Perry replaced Thomas in the Week 11 loss to the Vikings, catching two of four targets for 38 yards and a score. He's worth a look on the waiver wire in deep leagues. WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed should also pick up more work with Thomas out.

Saints WR Michael Thomas (illness) is active for today’s game vs. the Colts. He was added to the injury report late on Saturday, but there’s been no indication that he’ll be limited today.

Saints WR Michael Thomas was added to the injury report on Saturday night with an illness and is now questionable for today's game vs. the Colts. We'll look for further updates on his status and will get New Orleans' inactives around 11:30 am ET.

Saints QB Derek Carr (shoulder) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots. Carr played – but not well – through this injury last week, averaging just 3.4 yards per pass attempt. He’s not a recommended starter even in superflex leagues. The shoulder issue adds downside to all of New Orleans’ pass catchers.

Saints WR Chris Olave mustered only 1 catch for 4 yards in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay. Derek Carr’s right shoulder injury didn’t help, although he nearly connected with Olave on a deep ball TD that arrived a bit underthrown. His 6 targets ranked third on the team behind Alvin Kamara (14) and Michael Thomas (7). Through one month, Olave’s tallied 23-306-0 on a team-high 38 targets. He’ll remain a lineup lock for Sunday’s matchup at New England.

Saints WR Chris Olave snagged 8 receptions for 104 yards in Sunday's loss to the Packers. His 11 targets made up 32.3% of the team's total pass attempts and spanned across the injury-driven QB change. He has exceeded 100 yards in two of three games (with 86 in the other) and drawn 10+ targets in each game. Olave makes for a strong weekly starter going forward, regardless of the QB situation. WR Michael Thomas was the only other Saint to top 4 targets in the game. He posted a 6-50 receiving line on 9 targets. TE Jimmy Graham caught the team's only TD, from 8 yards out. New Orleans gets a home date in Week 4 with a Tampa Bay defense that plays the run tougher than the pass. We'll see which QB starts that game.

Saints WR Michael Thomas is expected to be a full participant for the start of training camp on Wednesday, according to insider Nick Underhill. The key for Thomas will be staying healthy throughout the rest of the year. He's played just 10 games over the past three seasons due to an assortment of injuries. We're skeptical that Thomas can regain pre-injury form or production, especially competing for targets with WR Chris Olave. But Thomas is certainly capable of paying off his ninth-round, WR44 ADP.

Saints WR Michael Thomas will undergo surgery to repair a dislocated 2nd toe, HC Dennis Allen said Thursday. Thomas originally suffered the injury in Week 3. "I don't think there was any complication," Allen said. "I think we followed what the doctors recommended in terms of trying to rehab it and give him an opportunity to play through it. We went in and had another MRI the other day, and it hasn't healed the way that everybody was kind of hoping it would. And so surgery is the next option." Allen didn't give a timetable for Thomas' return but confirmed that he's going on IR and added that he "doesn't anticipate" Thomas playing again this season. He can be dropped from redraft rosters.

Saints HC Dennis Allen said Thursday that he doesn't expect WR Michael Thomas to return this season from the foot injury that has sidelined him since Week 3. His absence will continue to present opportunity for WRs Marquez Callaway and Tre'Quan Smith, with Callaway the more direct replacement for Thomas' role. The veteran will turn 30 in March and still has 2 more years on his contract.

The Saints listed WRs Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) as missing practice on Monday's estimated report, ahead of the Thursday night game against Arizona. WR Chris Olave (concussion) was off the injury report, indicating he should be good to go for Week 7.

Saints WR Michael Thomas remained sidelined during Wednesday's practice with the foot injury that cost him Week 4. We'll see if he can make it back onto the field this week.

Saints WR Michael Thomas (foot) missed practice again on Thursday. His injury reportedly isn't serious, but it looks like he's in danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. We'll see how he's listed on tomorrow's final injury report.

Saints WRs Michael Thomas (toe) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. Their injuries reportedly aren't serious, but consider them uncertain for this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. We'll get another update on their statuses tomorrow.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that the injuries to Saints WRs Michael Thomas (toe) and Jarvis Landry (foot) are not believed to be serious. Rapoport says Landry is "dealing with soreness," while Thomas' foot injury is not to the same side as his previous ankle injury. Both guys are scheduled for additional testing on Monday, but it sounds like they have a shot to play against the Vikings in London on Sunday morning.

Saints WR Michael Thomas is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Panthers with a foot injury. We'll pass along an update when we get one.