Fantasy Football: Demaryius Thomas Trade to Houston Opens Big Opportunity for Courtland Sutton

Demaryius Thomas has been rumored to be on the trade block in Denver, and today, Ian Rapoport is reporting that he is being traded to the Houston Texans for a mid-round pick. Houston’s interest in Thomas no doubt picked up with both their recent surge to the top of the AFC South standings, and the loss of starting wide receiver Will Fuller for the year.

One of the primary reasons that Denver was willing to trade Thomas, who has been with the organization since being drafted in 2010, is because it opens the door for more playing time for Courtland Sutton. Sutton was the 40th overall pick in this year’s draft out of SMU, and was already drawing rave reviews in preseason. The only question was how long he would have to wait, playing behind both Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Well, that time is now.

Sutton has 324 yards receiving so far, because of a gaudy 19.1 yards per reception. Demaryius Thomas was getting 7 targets a game, so most of those should now go to Sutton. He profiles as a top 25-35 guy who can be a weekly starting option in fantasy football (Thomas is 35th right now in rankings, and Sutton could outperform him). Needless to say, those guys don’t come along mid-season option, so if you have a chance, and a need, you should pursue him aggressively.

Thomas, meanwhile, should also see a slight uptick, moving into the Houston passing game where Deshaun Watson will be throwing to him, as the second option to DeAndre Hopkins. You might see some transition time where he adapts, but he should continue to be a weekly starting option based on matchups, and should see an uptick in touchdowns over the second half of the season.