Brian Thomas Jr. Fantasy Hub: Week 9 Injury Update, Start/Sit Advice, Projections, and More

The Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Brian Thomas Jr.

Is Brian Thomas Jr. Playing in Week 9?

Trevor Lawrence is officially running out of wide receivers.

On Friday, head coach Doug Pederson said first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr. will be a game-time decision for Week 9. Gabe Davis is also a GTD, while Christian Kirk is on IR with a broken collarbone. Parker Washington and Tim Jones could be Trevor Lawrence’s top two wideouts against the Eagles on Sunday.

Thomas has a contusion on the left side of his chest. His MRI didn’t reveal a more significant injury, Pederson told reporters this week. While one report indicated he could miss 2-4 weeks after suffering a chest/rib injury in Week 8, Pederson labeled Thomas day to day.

The LSU product was limited during practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, wearing a non-contact vest throughout both sessions.

Thomas may have been injured on his third-quarter touchdown catch when he hit the turf hard after hauling in a score. After that play, he remained on Jacksonville’s sideline and did not re-enter the game.

Thomas ranks first among rookie receivers in yards (573), receiving touchdowns (five), and yards per route run (2.68); he’s second to Malik Nabers in receptions (33).

We’ll continue to monitor the Jaguars’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.

Should You Start or Sit Brian Thomas Jr. in Week 9?

Initial reports of Thomas’ chest injury suggested that we were looking at an absence of up to a month, but Doug Pederson said on Monday that an MRI revealed just a contusion and that his star rookie was to be labeled as “day-to-day.”

It should be noted that we’ve seen day-to-day injuries drag on for weeks and week-to-week injuries result in only a few missed days. So, yeah, you’re going to want to keep tabs on this situation before making any final decisions.

If Thomas is active, he’s a starter; he’s earned that level of trust with a 28+ yard catch and a touchdown in four of his past five games. I loved to see the season-high slot usage (34.5% of routes) last weekend, as it showcases his versatility.

Time will tell if Thomas is the best receiver in this class. That’s an argument for another day, but he’s a locked-in fantasy starter when active, and that’s not going to change any time soon.

Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

Brian Thomas Jr.’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9

Thomas is projected to score 13.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.7 receptions for 82.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.

Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.

PFN Insights: Philadelphia Eagles Defense

The Philadelphia Eagles’ numbers on defense this year have had a little bit of the “all or nothing” feel about them. If they have not been a top-10 unit, they have been a below-average unit. That pattern continued on Sunday, as they ranked 19th in Week 8 against the Bengals. However, they still held their opponent to 17 points, despite tying for their worst red-zone efficiency of the season.

The Eagles have been good inside the red zone this season, allowing touchdowns on just 42.9% of trips, which has helped them rank eighth in points per drive. Their biggest flaw has been their turnover percentage, which is the sixth worst in the league at 5.6%, and is the only one of the meaningful stats that ranks outside the top 20. Helping the Eagles is the fact their 58.7 defensive plays per game is the seventh lowest in the league this season.

For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.

Brian Thomas Jr.’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking

Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.

Week 17 WR PPR Rankings

1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
8) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at PHI)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
10) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
11) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
12) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
13) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
15) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
16) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
17) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
18) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
19) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
20) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
22) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
26) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
27) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
28) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
29) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
32) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
33) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
34) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
35) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
40) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
41) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
42) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
43) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
44) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
45) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
46) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
49) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
50) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
51) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
75) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
76) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
77) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
78) Sterling Shepard | TB (vs. CAR)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. ATL)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
86) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
90) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
91) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
92) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
93) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
94) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
95) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
96) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
97) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
99) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles Insights

Jacksonville Jaguars

Team: After winning seven of eight games in the middle of last season, Jacksonville is 3-11 in the 14 games since

QB: Trevor Lawrence’s yards per pressured pass attempt are down 26.6% from a season ago.

Offense: The Jags have won the time of possession battle just once (Week 7 vs. Patriots). Last week was the fourth time they failed to have the ball for even 27 minutes this season.

Defense: Last week, Jacksonville held the Packers out of the end zone on four red zone trips (66.7%, their rate in Weeks 1-7: 21.7%).

Fantasy: Tank Bigsby has looked explosive at times, but he needs help – in three of his past four games, he’s averaged less than two feet per carry before contact.

Betting: The Jags are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games, and each of their past four failures to cover came by at least 11.5 points.

Philadelphia Eagles

Team: No offensive line allows pressure more often when not blitzed than the Eagles (44.1%, league average: 31.6%).

QB: The Eagles have won three straight games – in those games, Jalen Hurts has -2 red zone passing yards.

Offense: From 2022-23, only the Cowboys, Chiefs, and 49ers scored more first-quarter points than the Eagles. This season, Philadelphia has yet to score in the first 15 minutes. If you’re curious, their lowest-scoring season for first-quarter points over the past 20 years came in 2012 (31 points).

Defense: The Eagles hadn’t allowed an opponent to convert over 46.2% of their third downs through seven weeks. In Week 8, the Bengals went 10-of-13 (76.9%), though part of that can be attributed to a one-sided game (20-point win).

Fantasy: Jalen Hurts had his 13th game with multiple rushing touchdowns since 2021, the most in the league (Derrick Henry ranks second with 11 and James Conner third with seven over that stretch).

Betting: After Halloween, since 2020, the Eagles are 12-8-1 ATS (60%) at home and 4-16 ATS (20%) on the road. They head on the road for three of their next four after this game.