Julius Thomas first Fantasy Football waiver sensation of 2013
If there is one thing that Americans love as much as they love their NFL football it is their fantasy football and it appears that Denver Broncos TE, Julius Thomas, will be the first waiver wire sensation of the 2013 season.
It happens every season. Week 1 kicks off and some unknown player has a breakout game, scoring loads of points and making themselves the most coveted pickup for fantasy buffs for Week 2.
In 2012, it was Dallas Cowboys WR, Kevin Ogletree. Like the Broncos, the Cowboys opened the season and like Thomas last night, Ogletree came out of nowhere, catching 8 balls for 114 yards and two touchdowns. By the time the game was over, the waiver claims for Ogletree were already coming in. As is often the case, however, Ogletree turned out to be a fantasy bust. The next week against the Seattle Seahawks, Ogletree caught only one pass for 26 yards. He finished the season with an unimpressive 32 receptions for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Thomas entered last nights game with pretty low expectations. ESPN’s fantasy experts only projected Thomas to score two points last night and had this to say about the former basketball player turned TE:
"Thomas was arrested in August for failing to appear for a traffic offense, the Denver Post reports.Spin:Thomas is expected to make his first start at tight end for the Broncos on Thursday against the Ravens, so having this news come out now certainly can’t help him mentally prepare for the game. While he’s starting ahead of Jacob Tamme (quad), it’s tough to see him have a big performance given the other receiving options available to quarterback Peyton Manning."
It is safe to say that Thomas exceeded expectations. Peyton Manning found the TE five times for 110 yards and two TDs.
The question will be whether or not Thomas can continue to repeat his performance.
We think the answer is probably yes. Thomas is lucky enough to be part of a dynamic offense that features Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and some guy named Peyton Manning. Old Man Manning tossed 7 touchdowns last night and so long as he continues to play at that level, there should be plenty of targets to go around for Thomas (Julius) to get his.
If you have a high waiver priority, it is time to put a claim in on Julius Thomas.