Jaguars first-round WR Brian Thomas Jr. has reportedly struggled a bit at the start of training camp. "Maybe he's just on a rookie learning curve, but the Jaguars' first-round wide receiver has yet to make an impact through three days of team drills," writes Zach Goodall of Jaguars Wire.
More specifics from Goodall: "He has struggled to separate from press coverage, with multiple route releases impeded by [Tyson] Campbell and Ronald Darby. ... Thomas on a few occasions has struggled to maintain his speed while cutting into in-breaking routes during practice, the latest example occurring on a a deep crosser Friday."
OC Press Taylor, focusing on the longer term: "He's handled things really well. He has retained a lot of the information that we taught through the summer, through the offseason, carried it over very well. ... Again, it's about putting in concepts that we think will help us down the road. Not necessarily that are going to win a rep today on a scripted practice."
It makes sense for the beat writer to focus on what he's seeing on the field and the coach to preach patience. And it's quite possible that Thomas is both struggling a bit on the field but performing well mentally.
The takeaway for fantasy football drafters: Keep in mind that Thomas is a rookie. Odds remain against him helping your team right away.
If you draft the Jaguars wideout, do so hoping that he can grow to help your fantasy football team over the second half of the season. That's when rookie WRs historically increase their playing time and production.
That said, current redraft ADP has Thomas (WR44) four rounds ahead of veteran teammate Gabe Davis (WR62).
That's probably too big a gap, considering the Jags paid Davis $13 million a year in free agency just this offseason.
You'll find Thomas ahead of Davis in our WR rankings as well ... but only by one spot. The ADP Market Index clearly shows Davis as the much better current value.
I'm not betting the market will change too much, though, unless we get much more negative buzz on Thomas.
Too many drafters feel like Davis has screwed them so far. That's why he's going at the bottom of WR5 territory -- and often outside of it.
There's basically no risk to his 2024 draft cost.
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