Jaguars WR hits another setback after being ruled inactive for Week 10

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.'s second NFL season has had its share of downs, and he hit another snag on Friday.

Per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Jaguars have ruled Thomas (ankle) inactive for Week 10's divisional game against the Houston Texans. He suffered a high ankle sprain in last Sunday's 30-29 overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders and was limited to lining up on 52 of the team's 80 offensive snaps. (h/t Pro Football Focus)

Injury another setback in frustrating second year for Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas finished the Week 9 win with three receptions for 55 yards. After recording 1,282 receiving yards as a rookie last season, Thomas is on a 17-game pace of 892.5 receiving yards this year. He's yet to cross the 100-yard mark in a game in 2025 after doing so four times in 2024, including in three of his last four games.

The 2024 first-round pick (No. 23 overall) got off to a rough start over his first three games in 2025, catching just seven of 25 targets for 115 yards. He's fared better in five games since, hauling 23 receptions on 35 targets for 305 yards and a touchdown, but has yet to morph back into his 2024 form. The ankle injury won't help.

It's another blow to the Jaguars' receiving corps. Rookie first-rounder Travis Hunter suffered a knee injury on Oct. 30 and is on injured reserve. Jacksonville improved its depth at the position before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, however, by acquiring Jakobi Meyers from the Las Vegas Raiders. Meyers notched his first 1,000-yard season last year and has 33 receptions for 352 yards in seven games this season.

Meyers will join Parker Washington and Dyami Brown as the top options in the pass game for quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a tough matchup against a stout Texans secondary led by 2024 first-team All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

Washington, a 2023 sixth-rounder, had season-highs in receptions (eight) and yards (90) last Sunday, while Brown, who signed a one-year, $10 million free-agent contract last offseason, should have an expanded role after beginning the season as a bit player.

The Texans (3-5) have the league's top scoring defense (15.1 points per game) and rank No. 4 against the pass (177.5 yards per game). The unit is also third in interceptions (nine) while giving up the fourth-fewest passing touchdowns (eight). Per Pro Football Reference, Houston's defense has limited quarterbacks to an NFL-worst 56.9 percent completion rate.

The Jaguars (5-3) could use their whole artillery against a formidable secondary. Instead, they'll have to wait another week to see if Thomas will finally arrive.