X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

2016 Fantasy Football Sleeper - Michael Thomas

With NFL fantasy football drafts quickly approaching, it's time to start looking for sleeper picks that could help you build a winning team. With an abundance of wide receivers available, there are often hidden gems that go unnoticed at draft time. The fantasy player who is smart enough to find those players ends up doing very well.

Wide receiver Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints ranks as one of my top sleeper picks for the 2016 season.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium NFL Subscription, only $29.99 for the full season. We have all the preseason tools to help win your drafts, and in-season tools to win your seasonal and daily leagues: Draft Kit, Premium Rankings, ADP Sleepers Tool, Matchup Ratings for every player, Daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids.

 

A Deeper Dive into Michael Thomas

Drafting a rookie is always a bit of a gamble, but Thomas makes a lot of sense this year. Despite being unproven in the NFL, he brings a great skill set and gets to play in a high-octane offense, with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

With no professional stats to go off of, it's difficult to predict exactly where Thomas should be selected in fantasy drafts. He was taken in the second round of this year's NFL Draft by the Saints, so obviously there's some high potential there. Plus, he has a good pedigree, as his uncle is former All-Pro receiver and Super Bowl champion Keyshawn Johnson.

Looking at his college numbers, Thomas performed very well while with the Buckeyes. He led the team in receptions in 2014 and 2015 and racked up a team-high 781 receiving yards in 2015. Overall, he left Columbus with 113 receptions for 1,602 yards and 18 touchdowns. He played at Ohio State for three seasons but made just three catches during his freshman campaign, meaning that the majority of his career stats were put up in his final two seasons.

According to Fantasy Pros, Thomas is currently being taken at 52 among wide receivers and 140 overall. Obviously, fantasy players are not willing to make a big chance on him, but he's being taken in front of returning players such as Kamar Aiken (56) , Ted Ginn (57), Mike Wallace (58), and Victor Cruz (61).

So why should  you choose an unproven rookie over some established wide receivers?

To start, Thomas landed in a very favorable spot for a wide receiver. With Drew Brees slinging the ball around in Sean Payton's offense, there will be plenty of opportunities for Thomas to make plays. Also playing in his favor is the fact that Marques Colston is no longer on the team, leaving a hole at the split end position.

Standing at six-foot-three, 212 pounds, Thomas has the perfect size for the position. He has a knack for making plays and being able to go up and get jump balls in the red zone, something the Saints were lacking in 2015.

With Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead making plays down the field on the outside, Thomas seems like the perfect addition to the passing attack, especially considering that Cooks and Snead are both under six feet tall.

The Saints have never been shy to throw the ball under Payton. They were the top passing team in the NFL last season, finishing with an average of 310.6 passing yards per game. As a whole, the Saints averaged a second-best 403.8 total yards per game. With no big improvement in the run department likely this season and a bad defense, it's not impossible to think that the Saints will once again be forced to throw the ball early and often.

Not only does New Orleans throw the ball a lot, but it gets spread around all over the field. Seven different Saints had at least 30 receptions a year ago, with five of them making at least 45 catches.

With a coach  and quarterback who love to spread the wealth on offense, Thomas is in one of the best possible landing spots for a rookie wide receiver. If he can develop an early chemistry with Brees, he could be able to put up some big numbers, both for the Saints and for his fantasy owners.

According to CBSSports.com, Thomas has already made an impression on both Payton and Brees. He appears to be quickly learning the offense and should be ready to perform when the season rolls around. Thomas certainly appears to be on track to be a very impactful rookie in 2016.

If you are planning on targeting Thomas in your draft, just be aware that he'll likely be a popular sleeper pick among your fellow draft mates. When you start drafting bench players, you may want to make him one of your first selections. Thomas is being drafted as a WR5 with finishing as a WR3(top 36 wide receiver) well within his range of outcomes. When rookies get priced closer to their floor than their ceiling, they become one of the more attractive sleeper options in fantasy football drafts.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Moises Ballesteros

Now The Triple-A Batting Average Leader
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Raisel Iglesias

Notches Fifth Save Monday
JP Sears

Fans Seven In Monday's Win
Josh Hader

Earns Eighth Save Of Season Monday
Jose Altuve

Hits Two-Run Homer Monday
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Charlie Condon

Visiting A Hand Specialist On Monday
Bailey Ober

Extends Quality-Start Stretch To Four In Monday's Win
Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston Needs To Earn His Spot In Training Camp
Noelvi Marte

Stays Hot With RBI Triple Monday
Los Angeles Chargers

Hassan Haskins The Leader For No. 3 RB Job
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Plan For 1-2 Punch At RB With Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris
Zebby Matthews

Strikes Out Five In Latest Start At Triple-A
New England Patriots

Patriots View TreVeyon Henderson As A Three-Down Back
Cleveland Browns

Browns View Quinshon Judkins As A Potential Bell-Cow Back
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Plan To Develop Jalen Milroe As A QB
Bubba Chandler

Tosses Five Shutout Innings In Latest Start
Jordan Lawlar

Surging At Triple-A
Tennessee Titans

Titans Unlikely To Pick Up Treylon Burks' Fifth-Year Option
Cleveland Browns

Browns Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To Elijah Moore
Cleveland Browns

Browns Agree To One-Year Deal With Diontae Johnson
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Could Reunite With Amari Cooper
Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Sign Robert Woods To One-Year Deal
Nick Maton

Outrighted To Triple-A
Josh Rojas

To Begin Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Tyler Gilbert

To Serve As Opener On Tuesday
Ryan Weathers

Tosses Three Shutout Innings In First Rehab Start
Keider Montero

Sent Back To Minors
Steven Matz

To Start On Wednesday Against Reds
Kris Bryant

To Have "Follow-Up Scans"
Gary Sánchez

Orioles Place Gary Sanchez On Injured List
Tomoyuki Sugano

Records Career-High Eight Strikeouts
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
Cleveland Browns

Browns Decline Kenny Pickett's Fifth-Year Option
New York Giants

Giants Won't Pick Up Evan Neal's Fifth-Year Option
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Ikem Ekwonu
Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Goedert Could Remain An Eagle
Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Could Still Add Wide Receiver Help Prior To 2025 Season
Cleveland Browns

Shedeur Sanders Struggled During Pre-Draft Process
Buffalo Bills

Elijah Moore Visiting With Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars

Emmanuel Ogbah Signs With Jaguars
New Orleans Saints

Derek Carr Undergoes MRI Exam
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Ivan Demidov

Has Historic Outing In Game 4
Timo Meier

Records Two Points Sunday
Andrei Svechnikov

Nets Hat Trick In Game 4 Win
Leon Draisaitl

Caps Off Four-Point Effort With First Postseason Overtime Goal
Connor Hellebuyck

Gets Pulled Again
Alexandre Carrier

Fails To Finish Game 4
Tyler Tucker

Makes Early Exit Sunday
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Frederik Andersen

Exits Game 4 With Injury
Jake Neighbours

Shines On Sunday With Three Points
Jordan Binnington

Makes 30 Saves In Game 4 Victory
Patrik Laine

Not Expected To Play In Game 4
Sam Montembeault

Labeled Day-To-Day
Aliaksei Protas

Considered A Game-Time Decision Sunday
Logan Thompson

A Game-Time Call Sunday
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Jimmy Butler III

Ruled Out On Saturday
Isaiah Stewart

Questionable For Sunday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 4
Jrue Holiday

Won't Play On Sunday
Mitchell Robinson

Questionable For Game 4 Versus Detroit
Michael Porter Jr.

Available On Saturday Night
Russell Westbrook

Won't Suit Up For Game 4
Darius Garland

Won't Suit Up For Game 3
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Pregame Warmup
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF