Thornton had a relatively quiet rookie season in 2022 with the Patriots, but hopefully more production lies ahead in 2023. He's worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. Thornton finished his rookie campaign with 22 catches on 45 targets for 247 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. He had four games with at least five targets, and he scored at least 15 PPR points in two of them. Thornton could see an expanded role this year, and he should be at least the No. 3 receiver in New England. His main competition for targets will be JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, but hopefully the Patriots give Thornton an expanded role. If he goes undrafted, keep an eye on him as a waiver-wire addition because he could emerge as a weekly starter in deep three-receiver leagues.
The Patriots placed Thornton (shoulder) on injured reserve Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
As a result, Thornton will miss at least the first four weeks of the upcoming campaign while he recovers from a shoulder issue. In his absence, the Patriots' WR corps will be led by the veteran trio of JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, with 2023 sixth-rounders Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte on hand to work in complementary roles in the team's passing game out of the gate this season.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Expected to be placed on IR
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The Patriots are expected to place Thornton (shoulder) on injured reserve prior to Week 1, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Assuming that's the case, Thornton would be in line to miss the first four weeks of the season and would presumably target a return to game action Oct. 8 versus the Saints. As the regular season approaches, the Patriots' wideout corps is led by JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne. Rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte profile as the top reserve options.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Could land on IR
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Thornton (shoulder) isn't practicing Wednesday and may soon be placed on injured reserve, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton is in danger of missing the start of the season but should be healthy at some point this fall. It isn't clear Thornton would be handling a key role even if healthy, as he appeared to slide down the receiver depth chart this summer even before missing practice. The Patriots have three veterans starters in JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, plus two sixth-round rookies in Demario Douglas (shoulder) and Kayshon Boutte.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Not expected to play Friday
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Thornton (undisclosed) isn't slated to play in Friday's preseason contest at Tennessee, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Thornton hasn't practiced since Aug. 17, when he suffered an undisclosed injury that will sideline him for the Patriots' final two exhibitions. With Thornton sidelined, the team's potentially available wide receivers Friday are JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, among others. Thornton's next opportunity for game action is a Week 1 matchup with the Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 10.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Misses practice Wednesday
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Thornton (undisclosed) didn't practice Wednesday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Unless he returns to the field in some fashion Thursday, Thornton looks as though he'll end up missing Friday's preseason finale versus the Titans. Whenever he returns to the field, the 2022 second-round pick will have to make up some ground in order to secure a steady role in the Patriots offense early on this season. As the depth chart currently stands, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne profile as the team's top three receivers, with Thornton and rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte competing for depth roles.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Not playing Saturday
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Thornton (undisclosed) wasn't in uniform ahead of Saturday's preseason contest against the Packers, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Thornton exited practice early Thursday and didn't return, so his absence isn't much of a surprise. The 2022 second-rounder will need to get back on the field soon in order to secure a key Week 1 role in a Patriots WR corps that also features JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Leaves practice early Thursday
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Thornton (undisclosed) exited practice early Thursday and didn't return, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Thornton left after catching a deep ball from Mac Jones. The 50th overall pick in last year's NFL Draft, Thornton has had a quiet summer after generating some spring buzz in pad-less practices. Sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas may be passing Thornton on the depth chart behind veterans DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Standing out at OTAs
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Thornton was "at the epicenter of several schematic tricks" that offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien installed at Wednesday's OTA practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official website reports.
Selected 50th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thornton's rookie season started with missing the first four weeks of the season due to injury and then catching just 22 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns on 45 targets across 13 contests. His speed is standing out at OTAs, however, and Thornton's "route-running precision and pacing to create separation were better than his rookie training camp," according to Lazar. O'Brien has made it a point to feature Thornton's speed in practices. The second-year wideout will try to push Kendrick Bourne for a role in three-receiver sets alongside DeVante Parker and newcomer JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Active versus Dolphins
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Thornton (knee) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.
Given that DeVante Parker (concussion) remains out this week, Thornton should continue to see added snaps versus Miami, but with an 18/174/1 stat line on 36 targets through 11 games overall, the 2022 second-rounder isn't a high-percentage fantasy lineup option in Week 17.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Questionable for Sunday
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Thornton (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins after practicing in a limited fashion this week, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Given that DeVante Parker (concussion) remains out this week, Thornton should continue to see added snaps versus Miami, but with an 18/174/1 stat line on 36 targets through 11 games overall, the 2022 second-rounder isn't a high-percentage fantasy option in Week 17.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Logs limited practice
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Thornton (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
While being listed as questionable ahead of this past Saturday's loss to the Bengals, Thornton suited up and logged 52 of 56 snaps on offense and finished with one catch for eight yards on three targets. With no reported setbacks coming out of that contest, Thornton's listed limitations Wednesday could well be maintenance-related. Either way, with an 18-174-1 receiving line on 36 targets through his first 11 career games, the rookie wideout is off the radar in most fantasy leagues.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Suits up versus Bengals
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Thornton (knee) is listed as active for Saturday's game against the Bengals.
With DeVante Parker (concussion) inactive, Thornton should continue to see added snaps Saturday, but with a 17/166/1 stat line on 33 targets through 10 games overall, the 2022 second-rounder remains a speculative fantasy lineup option in Week 16.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Not targeted against Vikings
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Thornton went without a target in Thursday's 33-26 loss to the Vikings.
Even though he technically started Thursday, Thornton saw his role slip Week 12 while veterans Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne took on more work. As a result, Thornton was limited to just 20 snaps on Thanksgiving Day and failed to see a target for the first time in any of his seven games this season.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches one pass Sunday
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Thornton logged 17 of a possible 63 snaps on offense in Sunday's 10-3 win over the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton's Week 11 snap count represented a season low, and for the fourth consecutive game, the 2022 second-rounder caught just one pass (on two targets) for five yards. Until steady volume heads his way, Thornton is off the fantasy radar while working in a New England wideout corps that also includes Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Logs 61 snaps in Week 8
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Thornton, who was on the field for 61 of a possible 78 snaps on offense in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Jets, caught one of his two targets in the contest for 13 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton's season-high playing time total was the result of DeVante Parker (knee) being forced out of Sunday's contest after one snap. With Parker potentially being unavailable for the Patriots' Week 9 contest against the Colts, Thornton could continue to see added work this coming weekend, but until the rookie wideout sees steady volume he'll be a speculative fantasy lineup option.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches one pass Monday
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Thornton was on the field for 44 of a possible 52 snaps on offense in Monday's loss to the Bears, catching one of five targets for 19 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Though Nelson Agholor was back in the mix after missing a game due to a hamstring injury, he saw only three snaps as Thornton worked as the Patriots' No. 3 WR behind Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker. As the speedy rookie's two-TD effort in Week 6 suggests, Thornton has some playmaking upside, but in his current role he profiles as a hit-or-miss fantasy option.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Week 7 Waiver Priority List
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The Patriots aren't going to be the type of team to feature multiple receivers on a weekly basis, so keep that in mind with Thornton when it comes to Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker. That said, Nelson Agholor (hamstring) and Kendrick Bourne (toe) are hurt, and Thornton could start getting more touches. In Week 6 at Cleveland, he had his coming-out performance with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown on five targets, along with three carries for 16 yards and a rushing score. I like that the Patriots are trying to manufacture touches for Thornton, who is among the fastest receivers in the NFL. He's worth adding in deeper leagues for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Scores two TDs in Week 6
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Thornton, who was on the field for 40 of a possible 70 snaps on offense in Sunday's 38-15 win over the Browns, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught four of his five targets for 37 yards with a TD and carried three times for 16 yards and a rushing score in the contest.
Thornton saw an expanded role Week 6 alongside Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker, with Nelson Agholor (hamstring) inactive and Kendrick Bourne limited to four snaps due to a toe injury. The 2022 second-rounder's volume and fantasy upside Week 7 versus the Bears likely hinges on the availability of Agholor and Bourne, but in any case Thornton's speed gives him the potential to make plays in the coming weeks, thus making him a sleeper candidate in deeper formats.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches two passes in debut
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In his regular season debut, Thornton was on the field for 25 of possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 29-0 win over the Lions en route to catching two of his three targets for seven yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
The 2022 second-rounder missed New England's first four games due to a collarbone injury, but now that he's back in the mix, Thornton brings added speed to New England's pass-catching corps. However, with Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor (hamstring) and Kendrick Bourne also in the team's WR mix, Thornton currently doesn't have a steady path to targets.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Placed on IR
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The Patriots have placed Thornton (collarbone) on injured reserve, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Thornton, who is bouncing back from a procedure to repair a fractured clavicle that he suffered on Aug. 19, thus is slated to miss at least the first four games of the coming season, with the report suggesting that the wideout's initial recovery estimate called for a potential return to action in mid-to-late October. Once Thornton gets back into the mix, he'll add speed and depth to a New England WR corps currently headed by DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.
