Michael Thomas has also been a fantasy stud when it matters most

Michael Thomas has been a fantasy star since coming into the league, and he has also delivered nicely at playoff time.

In four NFL seasons, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has topped 100 catches three times with over 1,100 yards all four seasons. He has been a top-10 fantasy wide receiver all four campaigns too, and he lapped the field at the position in 2019 as he set a single-season NFL record with 149 receptions and posted a league-high 1,725 yards. He also led the league in catches in 2018 (125).

Not surprisingly, Thomas now holds records for catches (470) and receiving yards (5,512) in a player’s first four NFL seasons.

Thomas’ high level of production has obviously put a lot of his fantasy owners in position to win their leagues over the last four years. That production will come at a draft premium this year, perhaps a top-5 pick for those who are so inclined in PPR leagues. But Thomas is still a very safe player to invest in, with less injury risk than a running back.

In fantasy terms, elite production for 13 or 14 weeks means absolutely nothing if someone falls short in the playoffs. Thomas has had no issue maintaining his high level when it matters most on the fantasy schedule.

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Since 2016, of course spanning his career, Thomas is first in catches (100), first in yards (1,080) and third in touchdowns (seven) from Week 14-16. He actually missed Week 14 as a rookie, so that production has come in 11 total games.

Last year Thomas had 35 receptions (on 44 targets, with games of 15, 12 and 17 targets) for 398 yards and three touchdowns from Week 14-16. He had at least 11 catches, more than 120 yards and a touchdown in all three games. Playoff and league championship weeks were definitely won, perhaps handily, on Thomas’ back in 2019.

Thomas simply isn’t going to repeat his 2019 season this year. But he has a good shot to finish as the WR1 in fantasy again, and perhaps most importantly he can be counted on to carry that stud-level production right through the playoffs.