Brian Thomas Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook (2026)

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Wed, Aug 12th 2026, 2:42pm EDT

Brian Thomas Jr. was one of the biggest busts of the 2025 season. He dealt with a high ankle sprain and a shoulder issue and never looked like the player we all loved during his rookie season. Once Thomas Jr. was "healthy" and Jakobi Meyers was on the roster, Thomas was relegated to a field-stretching role. In Weeks 13-18, he had only two top-24 outings in weekly scoring (WR15, WR23) with a 14.9% target share (18.1 aDOT), 47.8 receiving yards per game, 1.65 yards per route run, three red zone targets, and a 20.6% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). Could Thomas bounce back in 2026? Sure, it's possible, but with how this passing attack and receiver depth chart are composed, I don't see him returning to alpha-level usage this season. He'll likely fill the downfield role for Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence. This means he'll have massive week-to-week volatility. I'm mostly interested in Thomas Jr. in best ball formats where I don't have to stress about when to start him. I'll just enjoy the overall point total that he accumulates by the end of the season. Thomas is a WR3/4 who could easily be a WR2 by the end of the year if the big plays and touchdowns come.