Who Should I Start? Keenan Allen or Michael Thomas

Friday, November 14, 5:47 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen enters Week 11 as the franchise's all-time receptions leader, but his fantasy production remains concerning. Allen has caught four or fewer passes in his last three games, with only 15 targets during that span and just one red-zone target. Although he faces a vulnerable Jacksonville Jaguars secondary that has struggled to defend big plays, his significantly reduced snap share and route rate limit the volume he needs to succeed for fantasy managers. While he might have a favorable individual matchup against Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown, who is allowing a 13.5-yard average depth of target (ADOT), the overall decrease in usage downgrades him to a high-end WR4/FLEX option. Setting expectations accordingly is wise, as he is no longer the volume-dependent starter he was earlier in the season.

Wednesday, September 11, 8:40 PM

The National Football League on Wednesday announced that it has lifted the suspension of free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was suspended for the first game of the 2024 NFL season for an incident with a construction worker near his home last year. The fact that the 31-year-old remained without a team all offseason is a sign that he may struggle to latch on with an organization despite the fact that he's past his one-game suspension. Just several years ago, Thomas was the best receiver in the league, but injuries have limited him to 20 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and he played in just 10 games with the New Orleans Saints last year before a knee injury ended his season. He caught 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Thomas belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues and is unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024.