Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. Looks Like a Fantasy League Winner

Coming out of LSU in 2024, Brian Thomas Jr. was the fourth wide receiver taken behind Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., his college teammate Malik Nabers, and Washington Husky Rome Odunze. He was not celebrated in the same manner as those drafted ahead of them. Almost an afterthought, BTJ quietly had the best season of them all with 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 scores.

Although his post-draft grades weren't as high, the 23rd overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars quietly went about his business, and he shone with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. Everybody in Duval realized that they had a winner in No. 7, and the football world now knows, as well.

In a recent submission published by PFF, Thomas Jr.'s name was the highest of the high on their list of 5 fantasy football league winners for 2025. The other winners included RB Kenneth Walker III of Seattle, Broncos' rookie RB R.J. Harvey, new New York Jets QB Justin Fields, and the tight end in Green Bay, Tucker Kraft. The justifications for Thomas, though, make no one argue about who the king of the winners might be.

The justifications from PFF for Thomas, though, make it so very hard for anyone to argue about who the king of the winners might be.

"Brian Thomas Jr. entered the league as the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and quickly carved out a role in Jacksonville’s offense. Preseason usage pointed to him being a top option on the depth chart, operating as one of the Jaguars’ primary outside receivers alongside Gabe Davis, with Christian Kirk manning the slot in three-receiver sets."

"Over the first four weeks, Thomas consistently played between 73% and 78% of offensive snaps, while Parker Washington rotated in for occasional three-receiver looks. Despite the somewhat limited playing time, Thomas impressed early, totaling 275 yards and three touchdowns, 14th among wide receivers in fantasy points."

Injuries did set in a little, but injuries to the veteran receivers ahead of BTJ got the rookie standout back in the race.

"Midseason, the Jaguars began to scale back his snaps slightly, holding him under 66% of offensive snaps in three of four games. A chest injury in Week 8 led to limited practice participation for several weeks. Even so, injuries to Kirk and Davis opened the door for Thomas to take on a near-every-down role, as he logged snap shares of 84% or higher in eight of the final nine games."

"Fully healthy, Thomas emerged as one of the league’s most productive fantasy wideouts. Over his final seven games, he scored at least 13 PPR points each week and averaged 21.5 PPR points per game, third-best among receivers behind only Ja'Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. Notably, this late-season surge came entirely with Mac Jones at quarterback. Thomas finished his rookie year with 2.45 yards per route run and 0.534 PPR points per, both ranking in the top five among wide receivers."

"Thomas deserves to be considered among the first-round fantasy picks this season, but he comes with more risk than most in that range. If he emerges as the best slot receiver Liam Coen has coached, a top overall fantasy WR finish is within his range of outcomes. However, there’s also a scenario where Trevor Lawrence struggles to adapt to Coen’s offense and Travis Hunter ascends as Jacksonville’s primary receiving option."

Of course, struggles are a scenario, and everybody has to cover themselves. Still, the display at the Miller Electric Center for OTAs and minicamp suggests a scheme that's working, players that are revitalized, and a scenario that's a lot of hooey.

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