Who Should I Start? Keenan Allen or Michael Thomas

Monday, November 10, 5:51 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen caught two passes for 19 yards on five targets in Sunday's 25-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a quiet night statistically, but a historic one: Allen passed Hall of Famer Antonio Gates to become the Chargers' all-time leader in receptions. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old's route rate continues to decline (around 60%) as younger receivers like rookie Tre' Harris are integrated into the offense. His decrease in volume is typical of aging veterans mid to late in the season. Still, Week 11 offers a bounce-back opportunity against a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars defense that ranks ninth in passing yards allowed and fourth in receiving touchdowns surrendered. If rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden (quad) misses time, Allen could see an uptick in usage. He remains a WR3 with PPR upside, but if he continues to struggle to see volume, he might become more of a fringe WR4 moving forward.

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.