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.
Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Two catches in Sunday's loss
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Thornton caught two of his five targets for 19 yards and rushed once for three yards in Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Giants.
Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Thornton's 30 snaps on offense (out of a possible 68) marked a season high, but it didn't yield much production for the 2022 second-rounder. It's possible that Thornton's role could grow as the season progresses, but with just five catches (on 12 targets) for 34 yards through four games to date, he's off the fantasy radar.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Active Sunday, but no snaps
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Thornton didn't log any snaps in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Colts, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton wasn't on the Patriots' Week 10 injury report, so the fact that the 2022 second-rounder didn't take the field Sunday is a bit puzzling. Either way, heading into his team's Week 11 bye, Thornton is off the fantasy radar.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Suits up Sunday
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Thornton (foot) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Commanders.
Thornton was added to the Patriots' injury report Friday after being limited due to a foot issue, but he'll be available Sunday, while Kendrick Bourne (knee/IR) and DeVante Parker (concussion) won't be. With that in mind, Thornton has a chance to reclaim a role in the team's offense after being a healthy scratch last weekend, but what sort of volume he might see in Week 9 is unclear, with Demario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor also in the WR mix Sunday.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Inactive versus Miami
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Thornton (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.
With Thornton a healthy scratch Sunday, the Patriots' Week 8 WR corps will be comprised of Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Demario Douglas and Jalen Reagor. In two games to date, Thornton has caught two of his three targets for eight yards.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: One catch in season debut
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Thornton logged 25 of a possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Raiders en route to catching one of his two targets for six yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton, who had been on IR with a shoulder injury, was activated ahead of Week 6 action and worked as the Patriots' No. 3 wide receiver in the contest, with both JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and Demario Douglas (concussion) out. Looking ahead, Thornton could potentially emerge as a deep threat for the team, but with DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne also in the WR mix, the 2022 second-rounder doesn't currently have a path to steady weekly volume.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Back in action Sunday
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Thornton (shoulder) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports.
Thornton was activated off injured reserve Saturday and is thus available to bolster a WR corps that will be without with JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and Demario Douglas (concussion) on Sunday. In that context, the speedy Thornton can step into a role in the team's Week 6 offense alongside DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, with Jalen Reagor also on hand.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Questionable, yet to be activated
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Thornton (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Vegas, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
There's optimism around the team that Thornton will be able to make his season debut and bolster New England's banged-up receiving corps, which will be without JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and Demario Douglas (concussion). In order to play, Thornton will first need to be officially activated from injured reserve. His 21-day window to return from IR was opened Tuesday.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Limited practice Wednesday
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Thornton (shoulder) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.
After being designated for return from injured reserve Tuesday, Thornton took part in practice a day later for the first time during the regular season. The Patriots will have 21 days to evaluate Thornton for a return from injured reserve, and though he may have a chance to play this Sunday at Las Vegas, he would likely need to practice fully by Friday in order to do so. As a rookie last season, Thornton caught 22 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns on 45 targets and carried three times for 16 yards and one score in 13 games.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Has 21-day window opened
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The Patriots designated Thornton (shoulder) for return from injured reserve Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
New England held an unofficial session Tuesday, and Thornton's showed enough for the team to open a 21-day window in which to evaluate him for a potential return to the active roster. He's been impacted by a shoulder injury since Aug. 17 and so far has missed five games to begin the campaign. How Thornton is listed on the Patriots' first Week 6 practice report Wednesday may give a sense of his likelihood of returning Sunday at Las Vegas.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Placed on IR
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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: 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: 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.
