Michael Thomas looks like an awfully safe choice to me. He’ll catch a ton of balls, and those guys are solid gold in PPR scoring.
Thomas, of course, caught a record 149 passes last year (I wish they had played him a little more in Week 17, capping him off at an even 150). The previous season he caught 125.
I don’t think anyone should select Thomas expecting another 140-plus receptions, but about 120 looks like a safe estimate. And if you catch 120, you’re going to have a good season in fantasy.
In the past, 22 wide receivers have caught at least 115 in a season. All but two of those guys finished no lower than 4th among wide receivers in PPR scoring.
One of those guys, as luck would have it, was Thomas himself – the 6th-best receiver in 2018. The other was Wes Welker (finishing 7th back in 2012).
But you catch passes, and it means you’re going to have a good year.
To me, Thomas is very much locked in as the No. 1 wide receiver. I don’t see another guy where there’s even a discussion. It’s Thomas, and he should be going with a top-5 pick overall in PPR drafts.
RECEIVERS CATCHING 115 PASSES | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
2019 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 149 | 1,725 | 9 | 374.6 | 1 |
2002 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 143 | 1,722 | 11 | 384.2 | 1 |
2015 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 136 | 1,834 | 10 | 392.2 | 1 |
2015 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 136 | 1,871 | 8 | 377.1 | 2 |
2014 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 129 | 1,698 | 13 | 391.1 | 1 |
2018 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 125 | 1,405 | 9 | 319.5 | 6 |
1995 | Herman Moore, Det. | 123 | 1,686 | 14 | 375.6 | 3 |
2009 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 123 | 1,348 | 4 | 285.4 | 4 |
2012 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 122 | 1,964 | 5 | 348.4 | 1 |
1995 | Cris Carter, Min. | 122 | 1,371 | 17 | 361.1 | 4 |
1994 | Cris Carter, Min. | 122 | 1,256 | 7 | 293.6 | 4 |
1995 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 122 | 1,848 | 15 | 420.5 | 1 |
2011 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 122 | 1,569 | 9 | 335.9 | 2 |
1995 | Isaac Bruce, St.L. | 119 | 1,781 | 13 | 378.8 | 2 |
2012 | Brandon Marshall, Chi. | 118 | 1,508 | 11 | 334.6 | 2 |
2012 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 118 | 1,354 | 6 | 291.4 | 7 |
2003 | Torry Holt, St.L. | 117 | 1,696 | 12 | 359.1 | 2 |
1999 | Jimmy Smith, Jac. | 116 | 1,636 | 6 | 317.6 | 2 |
2008 | Andre Johnson, Hou. | 115 | 1,575 | 8 | 322.5 | 1 |
2018 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 115 | 1,572 | 11 | 337.5 | 1 |
1999 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 115 | 1,663 | 12 | 355.7 | 1 |
2010 | Roddy White, Atl. | 115 | 1,389 | 10 | 318.2 | 1 |
2018 | Adam Thielen, Min. | 113 | 1,373 | 9 | 309.3 | 7 |
2018 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 113 | 1,677 | 8 | 329.9 | 3 |
2013 | Pierre Garcon, Was. | 113 | 1,346 | 5 | 279.5 | 11 |
2001 | Rod Smith, Den. | 113 | 1,343 | 11 | 318.0 | 3 |
2012 | Andre Johnson, Hou. | 112 | 1,598 | 4 | 295.8 | 6 |
2002 | Hines Ward, Pitt. | 112 | 1,329 | 12 | 339.1 | 2 |
2017 | Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 987 | 9 | 264.0 | 4 |
1994 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 112 | 1,499 | 13 | 363.2 | 1 |
2001 | Jimmy Smith, Jac. | 112 | 1,373 | 8 | 297.0 | 5 |
1993 | Sterling Sharpe, G.B. | 112 | 1,274 | 11 | 306.3 | 2 |
2007 | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cin. | 112 | 1,143 | 12 | 299.7 | 6 |
2007 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 112 | 1,175 | 8 | 280.9 | 10 |
2018 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 111 | 1,386 | 13 | 329.6 | 4 |
2015 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 111 | 1,521 | 11 | 331.1 | 4 |
2014 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 111 | 1,619 | 11 | 340.9 | 2 |
2018 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 111 | 1,426 | 7 | 298.9 | 8 |
1995 | Michael Irvin, Dall. | 111 | 1,603 | 10 | 331.3 | 6 |
2003 | Randy Moss, Min. | 111 | 1,632 | 17 | 378.0 | 1 |
2010 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. | 111 | 1,355 | 6 | 282.5 | 3 |
1994 | Terance Mathis, Atl. | 111 | 1,342 | 11 | 315.2 | 3 |
2008 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 111 | 1,165 | 3 | 250.1 | 10 |
2013 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 110 | 1,499 | 8 | 315.1 | 2 |
2015 | Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 110 | 1,157 | 4 | 275.5 | 9 |
—Ian Allan