Fantasy Football Today: Stay ahead of the curve by starting Brian Thomas Jr. in Week 5

Through four games, Brian Thomas Jr . has posted 275 yards and two touchdowns. He's also averaging 13.75 Fantasy points per game. As it stands, Thomas is starting in just 32% of leagues, and Dave Richard believes that's going to start changing, especially after he hauled in nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown in a Week 4, 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans .

"That's going to start changing," Dave said. "He's an outstanding bye week replacement, and by the time bye weeks are done, he might be a No. 2 wide receiver. He's the most explosive receiver that the Jaguars have, but this is a week where they finally, FINALLY, stopped throwing like crazy to Gabe Davis . Brian Thomas was excellent on downfield throws. He caught a two-yard touchdown early on in the game. He's really good."

Dave is absolutely correct in his assessment here. Thomas Jr. will have every opportunity to raise his profile as the season goes along, as he'll likely be targeted for two reasons. Teams tend to be pass-happy while trailing, and given the fact that they're allowing 361.7 yards per game (27th in the NFL ), the Jaguars will likely be in a shootout or playing from behind a lot this season. Their inability to get stops on defense paves the way for more games like Thomas had this past Sunday.

Thomas runs a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, but that's not necessarily the most impressive aspect of his game. What I like about him most is his run-after-catch skills. While he has just 81 yards after the catch so far this season, look for that number to improve as the season goes along. Despite his frame, he knows how to run behind his pads and make defenders miss in traffic. Though he'll likely be utilized as the Jaguars' primary deep threat, look for him to be utilized more in the screen game as a means to quickly get the ball into his hands.

Another reason he'll continue to have success is that the Jaguars aren't afraid to move him around the formation. There are times he's outside the numbers, in the slot, or in a tight split where he's the nearest wide receiver to the offensive line. While lined up in tight formations, he's often asked to run over routes in obvious man-to-man situations, which allows him to use his speed to out-leverage defenses to the opposite sideline, which makes for easy completions. In his brief time in the NFL, he's gotten a much better feel for which windows to settle into against zone and will be targeted often due to his understanding of defenses and ability after the catch.

Overall, Thomas is a very quarterback-friendly receiver who will slowly but surely become Trevor Lawrence's No. 1 option. The connection he's building with Lawrence is palpable and should only get stronger in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts . The Colts pass defense has already given up 1,031 yards this season, which is fifth-most in the NFL. They were most recently torched by Justin Fields , who threw for 312 yards and a touchdown against their porous secondary. Thomas, who is coming into his own as an NFL receiver, could end up having a big day against the Colts in Week 5, as long as Trevor Lawrence has the time to get the ball to him.

Thomas is projected to hit 13.4 Fantasy points in Week 5 and average 10.12 Fantasy points per game for the season. If he can remain healthy and continues progressing at the pace he's currently on, he'll exceed those numbers to eventually become what Dave believes him to be – a solid No. 2 wide receiver in all leagues.

For more Fantasy insight on how premier Fantasy players are trending ahead of Week 5, be sure to give the full FFT Week 4 reactions podcast a listen.