Michael Thomas Injury Update Causes His Receiving Yards Odds to Tumble
By Peter Dewey
Drew Brees is gone and the New Orleans Saints will have another curveball thrown at them before the 2021 NFL season kicks off.
Star wideout Michael Thomas underwent ankle surgery in June and is expected to miss around four months, which would have him missing a significant chunk of the 2021 season.
Sources: #Saints star WR Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery to repair the ligaments in his ankle in June. Based on the timing of the surgery – and recommended 4 months of recovery – Thomas could be on the sideline for weeks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2021
This is a huge blow to the New Orleans offense, as it was relying on Thomas and Alvin Kamara to help the development of either Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston. With the quarterback job still up in the air, the Saints will also be in search of a new No. 1 target until Thomas returns.
WynnBET had given Thomas the second-best odds to lead the NFL in receiving yards this season, but he’s seen those odds tumble since the news of his injury. Because of the surgery, Thomas is almost certain to play less than a full season, and WynnBET has dropped his odds from +700 to +1200 already.
Those odds may continue to drop if Thomas’ timetable is longer than expected. According to Inside Injuries’ Virginia Zakas, there isn’t much hope that Thomas returns before November.
“Back in January, it was reported that Thomas would need to have both the deltoid ligament in the lower ankle repaired, as well as tightrope surgery due to damage to the high ankle ligaments,” Zakas explained. “It's unclear if one of those was already addressed in January, or if both ligaments were repaired this time.
“Now Thomas is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. Our algorithm has given him a longer 24-week Optimal Recovery Time, indicating he won't be fully recovered until November or December. He could certainly play before then but would be at a high risk of re-injury, and it could hurt his production.”
When Thomas was healthy in 2019, he led the league in receiving (1,725 yards) and broke the NFL record for most receptions in a single season (149), but don’t expect him to come close to those numbers in 2021.
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