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M. Thomas - WR

The Saints restructured Michael Thomas' contract to save $8.7 million against the salary cap in 2021.

The team's never-ending effort to get under the cap continue unabated. By restructuring Thomas' deal, the team is now around $17 million over the cap. Thomas' contract had been slated to count $10.1 million against the cap in 2021. The Saints will likely have to make a few more painful maneuvers before they dig their way out of salary cap hell.

Added Mar 12 8:51 am (EST)

Ian Rapoport on Twitter

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M. Thomas - WR

The Athletic's Larry Holder reported Saints officials were "happy" with Michael Thomas' response to his midseason benching.

After a lengthy absence following Thomas' Week 1 ankle injury, Thomas was suspended one game for punching cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson at practice. Holder said coaches and front office officials were pleased with how Thomas returned from the suspension. He said "there’s confidence that he will return to his 2019 form after undergoing surgery to repair his injured ankle." Thomas never fully recovered from his Week 1 injury, and he's expected to undergo surgery to repair the torn deltoid and other injured ligaments in his high ankle. Probably we won't know for a while whether Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will be throwing passes to Thomas in 2021, but either way, it'll be an upgrade over faltering late-career Drew Brees.

Added Feb 01 8:26 am (EST)

The Athletic

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M. Thomas - WR

Michael Thomas is likely to undergo surgeries this offseason to repair damage in his ankle.

This could explain Thomas' cryptic Tuesday morning Twitter posts and his subpar performance in the Divisional Round against the Bucs. ESPN's Adam Schefter said Thomas is "likely" to opt for surgery to repair "both the torn deltoid and other injured ligaments in his high ankle." Thomas missed eight weeks with a high ankle injury he suffered against Tampa in Week 1. He managed to play in nine regular season games and both of the Saints' postseason contests, though he appeared less than healthy in all but a few games. Schefter said Thomas "knew it was likely Drew Brees’ last year and didn’t want to miss out trying win a Super Bowl with him." With that dream dashed, Thomas will look to get right before likely catching passes from Taysom Hill in 2021.

Added Jan 19 11:01 am (EST)

Adam Schefter on Twitter

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M. Thomas - WR

Michael Thomas had an 11.4 percent target share in four games with Drew Brees this season.

Thomas caught none of the four targets he saw in the Saints' Divisional Round loss to the Bucs, smothered by Tampa CB Carlton Davis, who later flamed Thomas on Twitter. Interpersonal conflict might explain why Brees stopped looking Thomas' way this season after Thomas enjoyed a target share of around 30 percent from 2017 to 2019. Whatever the reason, Thomas went from the most reliable receiver in fantasy football to little more than a WR4 with Brees under center. Thomas will be better off with Taysom Hill, who targeted Thomas at a far higher rate this season. That assumes the Saints go with Hill as their 2021 starter.

Added Jan 18 9:30 am (EST)

Adam Levitan on Twitter

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M. Thomas - WR

Michael Thomas failed to catch any of his four targets in the Saints' Divisional Round loss to the Bucs.

It's a fitting end to what was a forgettable season for Thomas. He missed nine games to injury during the regular season and didn't catch a touchdown Weeks 1-16 before scoring last week in the Wild Card win over the Bears. Thomas had just two 100-yard games on the year. Drew Brees wasn't nearly his normal self, and Thomas had to catch passes from Taysom Hill for a month. It's a likely outlier year for Thomas, but with Brees headed for retirement, it will be interesting to see what the Saints do under center. If Hill gets the job, it will be a major ding to Thomas' fantasy value. Maybe the Saints will re-sign Jameis Winston to start.

Added Jan 17 10:18 pm (EST)

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M. Thomas - WR

Michael Thomas caught 5-of-7 targets for 73 yards and one touchdown in the Saints' Wild Card win over the Bears.

After going scoreless across seven injury-riddled appearances in the regular season, Thomas found the end zone to start off 2021 and the Saints' playoff run. He got the scoring started from 11 yards out in the first quarter, and it was the only touchdown of the first half. Drew Brees under center is much better for Thomas in the box score. The Saints will host the Bucs in the Divisional Round next weekend. Thomas actually played in both games against Tampa Bay this season, totaling 8-69-0 on 11 targets in those games.

Added Jan 10 8:29 pm (EST)

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M. Thomas - WR

Saints activated WR Michael Thomas (ankle) from injured reserve.

Thomas returns after missing the minimum three games. Whether he is anywhere close to 100 percent healthy is another matter. Thomas enters the postseason having made just seven appearances in 2020, only 2.5 of which came with Drew Brees under center. Thomas will still be a premium DFS play for Sunday's three-game slate, but with so many variables, both his floor and ceiling are much lower than usual.

Added Jan 09 4:30 pm (EST)

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M. Thomas - WR

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Michael Thomas (ankle, IR) is expected to practice Wednesday.

Thomas has made "good progress" since getting placed on IR in Week 14. He'll practice on a limited basis Wednesday before ramping things up later in the week. This has been the plan all along for Thomas. Barring a setback, Thomas should return for Sunday's Wild Card matchup with Chicago.

Added Jan 06 10:55 am (EST)

NFL Network

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M. Thomas - WR

Saint declared DT Malcom Brown, CB Ken Crawley, OL Derrick Kelly, RB Ty Montgomery, and OL Nick Easton inactive for week 15 against the Chiefs.

Michael Thomas (ankle) was included among the team's inactives because he was placed on injured reserve on Saturday. He'll miss the remainder of the regular season, positioning Emmanuel Sanders as an every-week low-end WR2. Meanwhile, Jameis Winston on Sunday was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Added Dec 20 3:02 pm (EST)

Harold Kuntz on Twitter

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M. Thomas - WR

Saints placed WR Michael Thomas (ankle) on injured reserve.

With only three weeks left, it ends the regular season for Thomas. The Saints "expect him close to 100 percent" for the start of the postseason. Thomas had been dealing with a high-ankle sprain for most of the year, limiting him to a 40/438/0 line over seven games (five starts). He also had Taysom Hill throwing him passes in four of those weeks. The Saints hope shutting down Thomas will keep him fresh for the playoffs. With Thomas out, New Orleans will go with TreQuan Smith, Emmanuel Sanders, and Marques Callaway in three-wide sets.

Added Dec 19 1:44 pm (EST)

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M. Thomas - WR

Michael Thomas (ankle) won't play in Week 15 against the Chiefs.

Welp. He'll be replaced by Emmanuel Sanders and Tre'Quan Smith in a game that's slated with the highest total (52) on Sunday. Alvin Kamara was the direct beneficiary without Thomas earlier this year, averaging 9.7 targets and a team-high 27.1% target share from Weeks 2-8, but Sanders wasn't available for two of those performances. Given the game environment, Sanders, Kamara, Smith, and even Jared Cook can all be viewed as terrific options in lineups for Sunday.

Added Dec 18 4:02 pm (EST)

Nick Underhill on Twitter

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M. Thomas - WR

Michael Thomas (ankle) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice.

It's a little hard to know what to make of this, as the Saints are one of the league's most opaque teams when it comes to injury information. What we do know is that this has not been Thomas' recent routine. We suppose he should be considered genuinely questionable for Sunday's showdown with the Chiefs, but even a "limited" session on Friday would have him fully on track to suit up. Managers alive for the fantasy semifinals need to be monitoring the situation, but it is not yet time to panic.

Added Dec 17 4:30 pm (EST)

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N. Ramirez - RP

Padres optioned LHP Nick Ramirez to their alternate training site.

This move clears out a 26-man roster spot for Dinelson Lamet, who will make his season debut on Wednesday against the Brewers. Ramirez logged three scoreless innings of relief during his short stay.

Added 2:11 pm (EST)

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M. Fleury - G

VGK

Marc-Andre Fleury was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, which puts him in line to start on Wednesday night.

Fleury has won his last three starts, including a 5-2 victory over Anaheim this past Sunday when he stopped 33 shots. He has a 20-10-0 record this season with a 2.09 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 30 appearances.

Added 2:10 pm (EST)

Jesse Granger on Twitter

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N/A

D. Lamet - SP

Padres activated RHP Dinelson Lamet from the 10-day injured list.

Lamet is finally set to make his 2021 debut on Wednesday afternoon against the Brewers after missing the first three weeks of the regular season due to a right biceps/elbow issue that first popped up down the stretch last year. He might be on a pitch count out of the gate but is still worth activating in all standard fantasy leagues given the upside. Lamet, 28, registered a brilliant 2.09 ERA, 0.855 WHIP, and 93/20 K/BB ratio over 69 innings (12 starts) last summer when healthy. Nick Ramirez has been optioned to clear a roster spot.

Added 2:07 pm (EST)

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E. Hernandez - SP

MIA

Elieser Hernandez (biceps) is expected to resume throwing off a mound next week.

Hernandez was placed on the injured list on April 4 after exiting his season debut with right biceps inflammation. The 25-year-old will probably remain sidelined through at least the middle of May.

Added 2:05 pm (EST)

Marlins.mlb.com

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D. Sikura - F

VGK

Dylan Sikura skated with Vegas on Wednesday morning following his recall up from the minors.

The Golden Knights didn't do line rushes, so it's unclear at this time if Sikura will play against San Jose. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if he replaced Tomas Jurco, who was assigned to the minors on Tuesday when Sikura was called up, in the lineup. Sikura has 11 goals and 19 points in 27 games with Henderson of the AHL this season.

Added 2:03 pm (EST)

David Schoen on Twitter

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K. Kolesar - F

VGK

Keegan Kolesar won't be available for Wednesday's match versus San Jose.

Kolesar hasn't played since April 11 because of an undisclosed injury. It's unclear when he will ready to return.

Added 2:00 pm (EST)

Ben Gotz on Twitter

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A. Civale - SP

CLE

Aaron Civale will make his next start Thursday against the Yankees.

Civale had been on tap for Wednesday's series finale against the White Sox, but that game was postponed due to snow. Logan Allen, Shane Bieber, and Triston McKenzie will follow him in the four-game set versus New York. Civale, 25, stands 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.726 WHIP, and 16/5 K/BB ratio through 20 2/3 innings this year.

Added 1:59 pm (EST)

Mandy Bell on Twitter

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R. Smith - F

VGK

Reilly Smith won't play in Wednesday's game against San Jose.

Smith will miss a second straight game after he was injured on Sunday. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Added 1:59 pm (EST)

Ben Gotz on Twitter

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