Brian Thomas Jr. injury status: Will Jaguars wide receiver play in Week 10?

Game status: Brian Thomas, Jr. is ACTIVE for Week 10 vs. the Vikings.

Game day update: Brian Thomas is expected to play on Sunday vs. the Vikings, per Ian Rapoport.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a disappointing season to say the least. Their collapse in the second half of last season has carried over into 2024 and they currently sit at 2-7. They are set to play the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10 who have been one of the better team this year and got back on track last week after losing two straight. The Jaguars will hope to have rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. available in what will be a must-win game.

Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was a game-time decision last week and that will likely once again be the case on Sunday against the Vikings. According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Thomas will be questionable in Week 10. Thomas was limited in practice all week with the chest injury that he injured against the Green Bay Packers.

Thomas did play last week with the chest injury which should be a positive sign for his status against the Vikings. The Jaguars do play in the earlier slate of games at 1 p.m. ET. so Thomas’ status should be known early in the day.

The Jaguars first-round rookie wide receiver hit the ground running this season. From Weeks 4-8, Thomas was the WR6 and had scored a touchdown in four out of five games. However, Thomas has shown that he has high boom-bust potential.

With touchdown regression likely to come, he is a hard player to trust in fantasy lineups on a week-to-week basis. Last week, Thomas had two receptions on four targets for 22 yards against a tough Eagles defense. The matchup could be good against the Vikings who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. However, with Thomas being so touchdown dependent and playing with an injury, it’s a tough call.

Additionally, quarterback Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a shoulder injury himself. Lawrence is not expected to play on Sunday.

If Lawrence can’t go, that would leave Mac Jones as the starting quarterback for the Jaguars. While Jones had a solid rookie season, his confidence looked gone last year with the Patriots. Against a tough defense with the potential to take advantage of a backup quarterback, combined with Thomas needing volume and being more touchdown dependent, the upside is limited.

The Jaguars will need to throw the ball to win, but the question is whether or not those targets will go to Thomas in the case that he does play. Last week, Evan Engram was the team’s leading wide receiver with Parker Washington behind him. Washington had a 19.3 percent target share las week and was second on the Jaguars in receiving yards.

The Vikings have allowed the fourth-most yards and second-most touchdown to wide receivers lined up in the slot. Washington took 30.6 percent of his snaps from the slot last week. Engram could also continue to be a featured piece as well and provide a security option for Jones.