The NFL has suspended former Saints WR Michael Thomas one game for violating the league's personal-conduct policy. The suspension stems from an arrest last November on misdemeanor charges of simply battery and criminal mischief.
WR Michael Thomas will not be back with the Saints in 2024. The New Orleans Times Picayune's Jeff Duncan wrote on Thursday that Thomas will be released. Thomas fired back on social media that he signed just a one-year deal with New Orleans last offseason and is simply becoming a free agent. ESPN's Kat Terrell reports that Thomas’ contract allows the team to either rework it or release him this offseason. Regardless of the details, Thomas will be playing for a team other than the Saints this season for the first time in his career. Injuries have limited him to just 20 games over the last four years. He averaged 4.2 catches and 49 yards over the first nine games of 2023 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Thomas turned 31 earlier this month. We'll see how much interest he draws on the open market and where he ultimately lands. Thomas no longer possesses an exciting fantasy ceiling, but we're not totally ruling out the possibility of him helping fantasy teams as a depth piece.
Klint Kubiak is expected to be named the Saints' new OC, according to multiple reports. Kubiak is currently the 49ers' passing-game coordinator, so the move can't become official until after the Super Bowl. The 36-year-old son of Gary Kubiak has 10 seasons of NFL coaching experience. That includes serving as Vikings OC back in 2021. That team ranked 12th in total yards and 14th in points, ranking near the middle of the pack in run/pass split.
The Saints placed WR Michael Thomas on IR with his knee injury. He's out for at least the next four games, which makes Week 16 his earliest possible return date. Thomas would be tough to trust in fantasy lineups at that point. He can be dropped from redraft rosters. His absence should leave WRs Rashid Shaheed and rookie A.T. Perry in full-time roles. See where those guys sit in the Week 12 WR rankings.
Saints HC Dennis Allen said Monday that WR Michael Thomas (knee) will miss some time. Allen wouldn’t share if Thomas will land on injured reserve. Through 10 games, the career-long Saint has racked up 39 catches, 448 yards, and 1 score. Thomas can be dropped in shallow to standard-sized formats, but he’s worth holding elsewhere in case he only misses a game or two. From Week 13 on, New Orleans’ WR strength of schedule looks slightly positive. Rashid Shaheed figures to benefit most while Thomas is out.
Saints HC Dennis Allen called WR Michael Thomas' knee injury "fairly significant." He added that the injury isn't believed to be season-ending but that Thomas is getting a second opinion. The Saints have a Week 11 bye, but it sounds like we should expect Thomas to miss multiple games beyond that. He's droppable in most redraft fantasy leagues. Rookie WR A.T. Perry replaced Thomas in the Week 11 loss to the Vikings, catching two of four targets for 38 yards and a score. He's worth a look on the waiver wire in deep leagues. WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed should also pick up more work with Thomas out.
Saints WR Michael Thomas hurt his knee in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.
Update: Thomas has been ruled out.
Saints WR Michael Thomas was arrested on Friday night on simple battery charges, ESPN's Katherine Terrell reports. Thomas was released from custody around 10 pm ET. He was reportedly involved in an altercation with a man who was doing construction work on a house in Thomas' neighborhood. Thomas was upset that the man was parked in front of his house and allegedly issued verbal threats, threw a brick at his windshield, shoved him, and knocked his phone out of his hands. It's unlikely that this incident draws a suspension from the league, and we're still expecting Thomas to play vs. the Vikings tomorrow. We'll let you know if that changes.
Saints WR Michael Thomas (illness) is active for today’s game vs. the Colts. He was added to the injury report late on Saturday, but there’s been no indication that he’ll be limited today.
Saints WR Michael Thomas was added to the injury report on Saturday night with an illness and is now questionable for today's game vs. the Colts. We'll look for further updates on his status and will get New Orleans' inactives around 11:30 am ET.
Saints WR Chris Olave has struggled over the past two weeks. Fortunately, the second-year wideout had a resurgent effort in Week 6 vs. the Texans, hauling 7 catches on 11 targets for 96 yards. His teammate Michael Thomas once again delivered with 5 catches on 8 targets for 45 yards in the contest. The improving health of QB Derek Carr’s shoulder should help each of these pass-catchers sustain good value again in Week 7 vs. the Jaguars on Thursday night.
Saints WR Michael Thomas hauled 4 of 7 targets for a team-leading 65 receiving yards in Week 5’s win vs. the Patriots. His teammate Chris Olave salvaged his 2-catch performance on Sunday was salvaged by finding the end zone but was otherwise nothing to write home about. Considering the Saints led this contest throughout and scored a defensive TD, there wasn’t a lot of offense to speak of. Week 6 vs. the Texans should be a much more competitive duel.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Saints QB Derek Carr (shoulder) will play vs. the Patriots today. Carr remained limited in practice all week after an ugly showing in last week's loss to the Bucs. Carr is "in a better place health-wise than last week," per Rapoport. But we'd want to see him turn in a solid outing before trusting him in any fantasy lineups.
Saints QB Derek Carr (shoulder) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots. Carr played – but not well – through this injury last week, averaging just 3.4 yards per pass attempt. He’s not a recommended starter even in superflex leagues. The shoulder issue adds downside to all of New Orleans’ pass catchers.
Saints WR Chris Olave mustered only 1 catch for 4 yards in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay. Derek Carr’s right shoulder injury didn’t help, although he nearly connected with Olave on a deep ball TD that arrived a bit underthrown. His 6 targets ranked third on the team behind Alvin Kamara (14) and Michael Thomas (7). Through one month, Olave’s tallied 23-306-0 on a team-high 38 targets. He’ll remain a lineup lock for Sunday’s matchup at New England.
Saints QB Derek Carr (shoulder) is now expected to start today's game vs. the Bucs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Carr seemingly made quick progress throughout the week and had a good practice on Friday. "The coaches will need to know he can protect himself," Rapoport adds. "But there is a chance." We'll get New Orleans inactives around 11:30 am ET. Carr would obviously carry elevated risk in Week 4 fantasy lineups playing through a throwing shoulder issue.
Saints WR Chris Olave snagged 8 receptions for 104 yards in Sunday's loss to the Packers. His 11 targets made up 32.3% of the team's total pass attempts and spanned across the injury-driven QB change. He has exceeded 100 yards in two of three games (with 86 in the other) and drawn 10+ targets in each game. Olave makes for a strong weekly starter going forward, regardless of the QB situation. WR Michael Thomas was the only other Saint to top 4 targets in the game. He posted a 6-50 receiving line on 9 targets. TE Jimmy Graham caught the team's only TD, from 8 yards out. New Orleans gets a home date in Week 4 with a Tampa Bay defense that plays the run tougher than the pass. We'll see which QB starts that game.
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