Brian Thomas Jr. or Chris Brooks: Who Should You Start?
2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Start Brooks — the availability and game script edges are too wide to ignore.
Chris Brooks is the healthier side of this call (Thomas carries a Questionable tag) and plays in the better game script (24.0 implied team points to 20.5). Thomas's edge is the projection, 9.7 to 9.6. The gap is comfortable.
Brian Thomas Jr.
6.48.19.7 Projected Points
Chris Brooks
7.78.79.6 Projected Points
Brian Thomas Jr.’s market
Chris Brooks’s market
Why Brian Thomas Jr.
SitWR1 and primary vertical threat. Long-striding field-stretcher with contested-catch radius; bounce-back candidate after inefficient season.
Sit — WR40 consensus, projects WR48 this week: DEN is the 6th-toughest matchup vs WRs, 14% target share.
- Carries a Questionable tag — usually plays, but monitor the final report.
- DEN ranks 6 of 32 against WRs (one of the tougher matchups, 1-game sample).
- Vegas implies 20.5 team points as 2.5-point underdogs.
- Listed WR on the latest depth chart with a 35% snap share.
Latest on Thomas
Thomas left the Week 1 game with a shoulder injury, was questionable to return, but came back before halftime; head coach Liam Coen said Monday he is optimistic Thomas will play in Week 2 though he may be limited in practice.
Yahoo Sports · Sep 14, 2026Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers will compete for Trevor Lawrence's targets when the season starts Sunday vs. the Browns.
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Why Chris Brooks
Sit· mediumRB2 in complementary role. Big-bodied back with special-teams value and short-yardage/pass-protection snaps.
Brooks' 56% snap share is built on pass protection — 20 of his 30 pass-down reps were blocking, and a 3% target share against the No. 3 DvP defense caps the ceiling.
- NYJ ranks 3 of 32 against RBs (one of the tougher matchups, 1-game sample).
- Vegas implies 24.0 team points as 5.5-point favorites.
- Listed RB on the latest depth chart with a 56% snap share.
The call
- The snap count is misleading: Yahoo reported 37 snaps in Week 1 but 30 came on passing downs with 20 pass-protection reps, so the volume isn't translating into touches or targets (3% target share).
- Matchup is among the worst available — the Jets rank 3 of 32 in DvP composite vs running backs (32 = softest), though it's only a one-game sample with zero confidence.
- Game script is the one thing working for him: Green Bay is favored by 5.5 with a 24.0 implied total, which should mean late-game carries if they're ahead.
- At 9.7 projected points he's replacement-level in a 12-team PPR flex; a bump in goal-line or early-down work over Lloyd would tip this back to a start.
Latest on Brooks
In the Week 1 loss to Minnesota, Brooks led Green Bay's backfield with 37 snaps compared to MarShawn Lloyd's 30, with Brooks working mostly on passing downs (30 snaps) including 20 pass-protection reps.
Yahoo Sports · Sep 14, 2026Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Brian Thomas Jr. | Chris Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 6.48.19.7 | 7.78.79.6 |
| Consensus rank | WR40 | — |
| Opponent vs position | DEN · 6 of 321-game sample | NYJ · 3 of 321-game sample |
| Receptions | 2 of 32 | 8 of 32 |
| Receiving Yards | 1 of 32 | 6 of 32 |
| Receiving TDs | 13 of 32 | — |
| Targets | 2 of 32 | — |
| Anytime TD | 13 of 32 | 1 of 32 |
| Rushing Yards | — | 3 of 32 |
| Rushing TDs | — | 1 of 32 |
| Rushing Attempts | — | 1 of 32 |
| Target share | 14% | 3% |
| Reception share | 17% | 0% |
| Implied total · spread | 20.5+2.5 | 24.0-5.5 |
| Depth chart | WR1 | RB2 |
| Snap share | 35% | 56% |
| Injury designation | Questionable | — |
| Start/Sit record | 0–1 | — |
Recent form
Brian Thomas Jr. — last 1 week
| Week 1 | vs CLE | 4.05.57.0 |
Chris Brooks — last 1 week
| Week 1 | vs MIN | 2.92.92.9 |
Signal breakdown
- 9.7 vs 9.6 projected PPR pointsBrian Thomas Jr. +
- Consensus position rankeven
- Opponent DvP rank 6 vs 3 (32 = softest)even
- Implied 20.5 vs 24.0 team pointsChris Brooks +
- Questionable vs no designationChris Brooks +
- 35% vs 56% snap shareChris Brooks +
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