Brian Thomas Jr. Fantasy Hub: Week 8 Injury Update, Start/Sit Advice, Projections, and More

The Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. 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 8?

Thomas is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.

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 8?

Isn’t Thomas essentially doing what we hoped Marvin Harrison Jr. would do? He’s being used at all three levels and earning targets at an increasingly impressive rate. In Week 7, Thomas had a pair of six-point catches in the first half and has at least one such play in five of seven games.

The rookie now has three top-10 finishes over his past four games; based on that graphic, he can get even better. This Green Bay defense has been making big plays all season, though there is some risk/reward in their profile. On the flip side of the turnovers they’ve forced is the second-highest touchdown rate allowed on deep passes (13.2% of attempts).

Through seven weeks, seven times has a receiver scored over 15 PPR points against the Packers. Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown are on that list, but so are Jordan Whittington and Alec Pierce, a range of players that tells me that it is more a result of how this defense functions than a result of talent mismatches.

Thomas has the upside of a top-10 receiver and the floor of a player ranked in the 30s — that equation is going to result in a WR2 ranking for me most weeks, and this matchup is no different.

Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

Brian Thomas Jr.’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8

Thomas is projected to score 14.5 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.9 receptions for 86 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.

Brian Thomas Jr.’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking

Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25. 

Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings

1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)

Green Bay Packers at Jacksonville Jaguars Insights

Green Bay Packers

Team: The Packers have won three straight games and are seeking their first four-game win streak since December 2022.

QB: Jordan Love has thrown multiple TD in eight straight games. That’s the fourth-longest streak by a QB age 25 or younger, behind Patrick Mahomes (14), Brett Favre (12), and Dan Marino (10).

Offense: The Packers are explosive, but since 2022, they have ranked 23rd in red zone offense (54.2% this season, ranking 18th behind the Panthers, Titans, and Jets).

Defense: Green Bay is allowing the fourth-lowest third-down completion percentage (46.7%) and has yet to allow a third-down touchdown pass.

Fantasy: Josh Jacobs caught the first touchdown of his career on Sunday and now has at least four catches or 18 carries in all four games since Jordan Love returned.

Betting: The Packers beat the Rams 24-19 (closing total: 49.5) in Week 5, snapping a streak of six straight overs in Jordan Love road starts.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Team: This team returns from London to begin, without much question, their most difficult four-game straight of the season (vs. Packers, at Eagles, vs. Vikings, and at Lions).

QB: Trevor Lawrence has posted three straight passer ratings north of 90 on the heels of three straight under 90 (Jacksonville is 2-1 after an 0-4 start).

Offense: By EPA per game, this is the worst offense in the league (7.6% worse than the Panthers).

Defense: The Jaguars own the league’s worst red zone defense, allowing a touchdown on 78.3% of such drives.

Fantasy: Tank Bigsby has multiple rushing scores in two of his past three and at least 90 rushing yards in three of four. His role is trending toward that of a bellcow (Travis Etienne – hamstring), but with just one catch against his 67 carries this season is a ceiling capper.

Betting: In their three games before the London trip last season, the Jags were 1-2 ATS (average cover margin: -8.5 points). In their first three games back in the States, they went 3-0 ATS (average cover margin: +10.0 points).