Who Should I Start? Michael Thomas or Van Jefferson

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.

Wednesday, March 12, 10:03 AM

The Tennessee Titans are signing former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Van Jefferson to a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million. Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reported the news. The former Florida Gator spent one season in Pittsburgh, accumulating just 24 receptions, 276 yards, and two touchdowns in 17 games. Jefferson played the second-most snaps of all Steelers wideouts with 755 (George Pickens). The 28-year-old has eclipsed 370 receiving yards only once in his career (in 2022 with the Rams) but figures to slot in as the team's second WR behind incumbent primary option Calvin Ridley. He'll now vie for targets with fellow wideouts Tyler Boyd and Treylon Burks and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo. Jefferson regularly disappeared last season, recording one catch or fewer in nine appearances, and will be difficult to trust as a viable fantasy option in 2025 despite the change of scenery.