Brian Thomas Jr. Injury Update: Latest on Jaguars WR After Exiting Game vs. Packers in Week 8

There was bad news for fantasy football managers and Jacksonville Jaguars fans when Brian Thomas Jr. was listed as questionable to return with a chest injury. Let’s examine what happened to Thomas and what it means for his fantasy value going forward.

What Happened to Brian Thomas Jr.?

There was no obvious moment when Thomas got hurt in the game, and the Jaguars’ announcement came as somewhat of a surprise. The injury may have happened on Thomas’ touchdown catch, where he hit the floor hard while making the reception. He was later seen back on the sidelines but did not have his helmet.

BTJ took his ankles. Sheesh pic.twitter.com/D3eOH2uH1N

— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) October 27, 2024

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson did not have an update on Thomas’ injury status during his postgame press conference, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.

Prior to the injury, Thomas had 60 yards and a touchdown on three receptions from four targets. He was continuing a strong start to the season that has seen him put up 513 receiving yards from 30 receptions on 45 targets prior to today. Thomas’ touchdown against the Green Bay Packers was his fifth of the season.

Compounding the issues for the Jaguars is that just after Thomas got hurt, Christian Kirk was also injured. Gabe Davis was hurt earlier in the game, so if all of those are unable to return, the Jaguars are now down to their fourth and fifth-choice wide receivers.

Jacksonville could have gone from having a three-deep WR room to having none in the space of a single game.

If all three are hurt, the Jaguars would likely need to rely on a combination of Parker Washington and Tim Jones at wide receiver. They could also look towards their tight ends — Evan Engram and Brenton Strange — and their running backs to play a bigger part in the passing game.

Potential Fantasy Fallout From Thomas’ Injury

Engram is the only piece of Jacksonville’s passing game that you can trust if both Thomas and Kirk were to miss time. Davis will be on the field plenty (assuming health), but he’s yet to prove himself as a consistent target earner, and the depth behind him is thin at best.

This would, of course, put more focus on the running game. Travis Etienne Jr. is battling a hamstring injury, making Tank Bigsby the running back to feel best about. That said, if Etienne is back and both receivers are out, there’s a world in which both Jaguars RBs can hold value.

We are well beyond playing Trevor Lawrence in single-QB formats, and with these injuries, he’s on the fringes of the QB2 discussion. This isn’t an offense you want to be invested in outside of Engram.