Michael Thomas Fantasy football ranking: 2020 outlook, projections, ADP, value, predictions, stats

After finishing as the WR5 in 2017 and WR3 in 2018, Michael Thomas elevated his game to heights no one could have seen coming in 2019. Thomas shattered his previous career-high 149 targets in 2019, as Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater combined to funnel 185 passes his way. The result was the highest-scoring Fantasy WR season (374.6 PPR points) since Antonio Brown's monstrous 382.2-point output in 2015. Where should he be in your 2020 Fantasy football rankings, and what Michael Thomas Fantasy football outlook can you expect?

Emmanuel Sanders found the perfect landing spot in New Orleans during free agency, but could his presence lower Thomas' target share in 2020? The Saints were expected to add one of the receivers from the loaded 2020 NFL Draft class but instead addressed the offensive line and defense. With Sanders as the only real "threat" to negatively affect Thomas' role, last year's undisputed WR1 will project to again finish first at his position in PPR scoring in almost all models.

The 2020 Michael Thomas Fantasy football value remains strong, as he's set for another 125-catch campaign. He's undoubtedly a first-round candidate in most formats, but how high should he be in your 2020 Fantasy football rankings? Here's what you need to know:

So which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Join SportsLine now to get early 2020 Fantasy football rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.

Michael Thomas Fantasy ADP & ranking (via SportsLine's projection model)

No. 3.2 ADP
No. 2 WR (non-PPR)
No. 1 WR (PPR)

Michael Thomas Fantasy projections (via SportsLine's projection model) 

158 targets, 125 receptions, 1,430 receiving yards, 7.9 receiving TDS
189.2 Fantasy points (non-PPR); 314.2 (PPR)

Michael Thomas 2020 Fantasy outlook 

Even if you don't expect the presence of Emmanuel Sanders to negatively affect Michael Thomas, his 185 target number from last year seems destined to regress to the mean in 2020. SportsLine's projections still have Thomas finishing second among all receivers with 158 targets, which still would have been a huge improvement on his career-high before the 2019 season. Is Thomas worth investing a top-five draft pick into if his targets are set to drop in 2020, though?

In terms of consistency, the only player who can rival Thomas is Julio Jones. Thomas has finished as a top-five Fantasy WR in three-straight seasons, and unlike Jones, he isn't reliant on 'spike weeks' to get the job done. In PPR formats, the only more surefire stud you could draft is Christian McCaffrey.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of paying a premium for a player coming off a career-season. The ceiling is higher for McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley, Davante Adams, and Alvin Kamara. But, if you are confident in your ability to identify breakout and sleeper candidates in the late rounds that will provide your team with upside, using a first-round pick to secure one of the most reliable players in the NFL would make a lot of sense.