Back in Week 1, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas flew under the radar after puttin up six catches on as many targets in th rookie's NFL debut. He was overshadowed a tad by Brandin Cooks who put up six receptions for 143 yards and two scores in th loss to th Oakland Raiders.
Thomas, a second-round pick from Ohio State, would continue to preform at a high level throughout the first half of the season. Still, he was overshadowed by the likes of Drew Brees, Tim Hightower and the aforementioned Cooks on a high-flying Saints offense.
It wasn't until this past week that the mainstream football community understood just how well Thomas has been performing as a rookie. He recorded nine receptions for 108 yards and two scores on 10 targets in a 49-21 blowout win against a good Los Angeles Rams defense.
That very same game saw Cooks fail to record a single target. It's a mind-numbing change in the entire landscape of the Saints' offense, and it points to Thomas now becoming the top fantasy receiver in an offense that has tossed the ball around the field at the second-highest clip in the NFL.
Not only does this make Thomas fantasy relevant, it makes him an elite-level performer moving forward on the season. If you don't think this is the case, just look at his advanced stats over the past several weeks.
| Opponent | Rec | Targets | Catch % | Yards | TD |
| Panthers | 5 | 5 | 100 | 78 | 1 |
| Chiefs | 10 | 13 | 76.9 | 130 | 0 |
| Seahawks | 6 | 6 | 100 | 63 | 0 |
| 49ers | 5 | 8 | 62.5 | 73 | 2 |
| Broncos | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 40 | 0 |
| Panthers | 5 | 5 | 100 | 68 | 0 |
| Rams | 9 | 10 | 90.0 | 108 | 2 |
As you can see above, Thomas has done the most possible with the targets he's received over the past seven games, catching 85 percent of the passes thrown in his direction during this span. Overall this season, the rookie boasts a tremendous 77 percent catch rate on the season.
More than the success we've seen from Thomas when playing a huge role on the Saints' offense, he's actually taken over for Cooks as the most-targeted receiver on the roster, boasting a higher target distribution rate heading into Week 13.
While there will be some concern over how Brees spreads the ball around and how it might impact Thomas moving forward, there's little doubt that the rookie has produced at an incredibly high level this season.
In fact, of the top-20 fantasy receivers, Thomas is averaging more fantasy points per target and reception than any other player at his position. Think about that for one second before discounting him simply because the Saints spread the ball around on offense.