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After originally seeming like he would miss some time to start the season, Michael Thomas has been removed from the PUP list and has been practicing in training camp with the rest of the team. The New Orleans Saints wideout hasn't logged a full season of games since 2019. In the last two seasons, he has suited up only twice.
Last year, he missed the overwhelming majority of the season after getting his ankle rolled up on by a teammate in the opening game of the 2020 season. He played through injury for seven games in 2020, but had a setback in 2021 and missed the entire campaign.
Michael Thomas’ injury
Injury suffered: High ankle sprain
When it happened: Week 1, 2020 season
The ankle injury greatly impacted his 2020 season, having played in only six additional games after the injury, racking up just 40 catches for 438 yards. He failed to hit the end zone until the team’s playoff game, where he added 73 yards on five catches.
It was believed he would miss half of the 2021 season while recovering from the same injury, but a setback forced him to miss the entire campaign.
Latest news during training camp
August 6: Saints head coach Dennis Allen told the media on Saturday that Thomas was in team drills for the first time and came out clean, per Ian Rapoport. He also went to the ground and had no issues.
On Wednesday morning, just the second day of training camp for the New Orleans Saints, Thomas was removed from the PUP list and participated in practice. Nick Underhill, a Saints reporter for NewOrleans.football, reported that early on in practice Thomas looked good and had no visible limp. Though at the time of reporting, the team had only gone through individual drills against air, so it’s worth monitoring throughout the day how much he participates in full team drills.
2022 Fantasy football outlook
During his last full season back in 2019, Thomas was the Offensive Player of the Year. The Saints have overhauled their wide receiver corps since then though, adding Jarvis Landry in free agency and Chris Olave in the draft. Still, he should be a productive piece of the Saints passing attack and barring any more setbacks, should remain the team’s WR 1.