Will Michael Thomas be a viable replacement for Marques Colston in New Orleans?
With the release of Marques Colston during the offseason, the New Orleans Saints had a big need for a big receiver to replace the six-foot-four veteran who had been with the team for a decade. They addressed that need in the second round by making WR Michael Thomas from Ohio State with the 47th overall pick.
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Thomas, like Colston, does not have game-breaking speed, but he does have solid hands and can be a huge red-zone target. He’s a complimentary player to the smaller, speedier Brandin Cooks, who the Saints drafted in the first round in 2014. With the addition of 27-year-old Colby Fleener at TE, and the return of Willie Snead, the Saints now have a good young group of pass catchers to go along with a future Hall of Fame QB in Drew Brees.
At Ohio State, Thomas’ career didn’t take off until the 2014 National Championship season when he posted 54 receptions for 799 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season in his junior year he had 56 receptions for 781 yards and nine touchdowns. It’s that type of consistency, and some valuable insight Sean Payton received from his long-time friend Urban Meyer, that made the selection of Thomas an easy choice in the second round.
“His ball skills are a 10 out of 10, aggressive to the ball, high points the ball. That’s why he was so good down in the red zone for us,” Meyer said. “He’s learned to play big. He was one of those receivers, a little bit like his uncle [Keyshawn Johnson]…When he plays to his size and strength, I think he’s exceptional.”
If Thomas takes on the “Colston” role, he should be an excellent fantasy draft choice, especially in rookie drafts for dynasty leagues. Cooks should once again lead the WRs in targets, but Thomas will cut into Snead’s 100 targets and should get most of the 67 targets that Colston had last season.
In the red zone, Thomas will probably battle Fleener for looks from Brees. With the history of success Brees had with former TEs Jimmy Graham and Benjamin Watson, Fleener should get more than enough chances to match the six TDs Watson pulled down last season. But that doesn’t mean Thomas will be ignored. Colston found the end zone pretty consistently when Graham was having his monster seasons in a Saints’ uniform. With Thomas’ ability to catch the ball in traffic and to be physical in the end zone, he should have no issues getting end zone looks from Brees.
For those of you into fantasy analytics, make note that Thomas’ SPARQ score places him in the 75th percentile athletically for WRs, and he’s been compared to WRs Josh Gordon, Larry Fitzgerald, Keenan Allen and Jordan Matthews. Player Profiler also compared Thomas to Brandon LaFell, as both are eerily close in height, weight, 40 time and vertical leap. They also had very similar college production (yards and receptions).
Initially, you may not like the LaFell comparison, but if you remember the hype LaFell received when he moved to New England with Tom Brady, you may start to like what you see in Thomas and his potential. Like LaFell, Thomas will be playing with a future HOF QB in a prolific offenses. LaFell’s best season with Brady produced 74 receptions with 953 yards and seven TDs–all very attainable stats for Thomas in his first year with the Saints.
Hilton Guidry is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Hilton, check out his archive and follow him @fantasygumbo.
