Denver Broncos TE Julius Thomas has been injured and for fantasy football owners in Week 14 if he is out again, names like Jordan Reed, Kyle Rudolph, Richard Rodgers, Martellus Bennett, Tim Wright, Larry Donnell, Delanie Walker, Coby Fleener and Heath Miller could be solid start options to replace him in lineups heading into the playoffs.
Thomas has been fantastic this season working with Peyton Manning, but he has been banged up for multiple weeks and now he could continue to be out. Thomas is one of the top points leaders this season and for replacement options, Reed, Fleener and Bennett are strong picks this week based on matchups. Reed looks healthy for the first time since last year and he has a good relationship with Colt McCoy, as he has been targeted nearly 20 times in his last two starts.
Thomas said that he is "close" to returning, but the Broncos could be cautious with him and fantasy football owners should be aware of that. Thomas has once again had a strong season and it will be hard to find someone to make up his production. Kyle Rudolph returned from an injury and has played well and while he had just two catches last week, he did score a TD and he could be a solid option to come in and help replace Thomas for some fantasy owners.
The Packers have a stable of tight ends, but Richard Rodgers could be the main man for Aaron Rodgers coming up. Rodgers only has 13 catches this season, but he had a TD last week and could be an option to come in if Thomas is out for some fantasy owners. Rodgers had his best game against the saints with four catches for 58 yards and in the last two weeks he has two touchdowns. Tim Wright is another option with the Patriots, as he has been a steady option despite playing behind Gronk, as the Pats like to use dual tight ends sets quite a bit.
Martellus Bennett has been under the radar a bit, but he has been one of the best tight ends in the league. Bennett will be playing on Thursday night against the Cowboys and he is a solid early start option. Last week on Thanksgiving Bennett had seven catches for 109 yards against the Lions and that type of performance could be coming against the Cowboys. Bennett has 65 catches for 737 yards this season and five TDs and he is one of the leading fantasy tight ends in the NFL.
Thomas has 40 catches in 10 games this season for 426 yards and he has 12 touchdowns to match his total already from last year. Thomas played in 14 games last season and had 65 catches for 788 yards and 12 scores, breaking out as one of the best TEs in the league. Thomas was a surprise last season, but he surprised no one this year and his production has been as good as many of the other tight ends not named Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski. Over the last three games that he has played, Thomas as three touchdowns and he has scored multiple TDs in four games this season.