What does Logan Thomas’ return mean for Ricky Seals-Jones in fantasy football?

The Washington Football Team is expecting starting tight end Logan Thomas to return to practice next week after their Week 9 bye, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 30-year-old tight end was placed on injured reserve after Washington played the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4.

With Thomas being on IR for the last four games, we’ve seen the emergence of backup veteran tight end Ricky Seals-Jones. In his first start of the season in Week 5, Seals-Jones had five receptions (nine targets) for 41 yards and produced 9.1 fantasy points against the New Orleans Saints.

He followed up that performance with a better showing the next week against the vulnerable Kansas City Chiefs defense. The 26-year-old tight end recorded four receptions (six targets) for 58 yards and a touchdown, scoring a season-best 15.8 fantasy points.

By that point, it was clear that Seals-Jones had developed a rapport with starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke and was becoming one of Washington’s top offensive targets. Seals-Jones had another solid outing in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers (6 recs for 51 yards), but had only two catches last week against the Denver Broncos.

Could his lack of targets and production be a thing to come with Thomas returning to the fold? It’s a possibility as Thomas is a viable offensive playmaker in the red zone, making him a higher priority for many fantasy football managers. However, we could also see a scenario that Seals-Jones plays an integral role in this offense down the stretch.

The Football Team does not have a clear cut No. 2 receiver behind Terry McLaurin, which means there will be targets to be had between the running backs and the tight ends. It will be interesting to see how Thomas looks in his first game back and how the snap count plays out in Week 10.