Who Should I Start? Michael Thomas or Allen Lazard

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.

Sunday, September 14, 12:47 PM

New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard will make his 2025 debut in Week 2 against the division-rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday after he was a healthy scratch in the season-opening loss last Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lazard might only be active because Josh Reynolds is out with a hamstring injury. Although it's notable for New York's passing attack, we wouldn't recommend the 29-year-old as a streaming option this weekend, even in deep fantasy leagues. Garrett Wilson will continue to draw the majority of aerial targets from quarterback Justin Fields. Lazard, who has struggled with drops in his two seasons with the Jets, will be competing for targets with Tyler Johnson mostly. Last year in New York, Lazard bounced back from a rough 2023 campaign to catch 37 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games (10 starts).