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: Catches 22 passes as a rookie
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Thornton finished the 2022 season with 22 catches on 45 targets for 247 yards and two TDs in 13 games.
In his rookie campaign, the 2022 second-rounder was a complementary piece in a New England wideout corps that also included Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor. Looking ahead, Parker, Bourne and Thornton remain under contract with the team next season, with reinforcements slated to arrive via free agency and the draft. Thornton's fantasy prospects in 2023 hinge on him seeing increased volume, which is a plausible outcome for the speedster out of Baylor pending the Patriots' offseason moves.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) could be out in Week 18 at Buffalo, which would hopefully allow Thornton to get more targets for the Patriots in a big game. If New England wins in Week 18 then the Patriots earn a wild-card spot. Thornton had three catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in Week 17 against Miami, and he almost had a second touchdown but couldn't get his feet inbounds in the back of the end zone. He now has four games this season with at least five targets, and he has scored at least 15 PPR points in two of them.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Productive day in win
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Thornton brought in three of seven targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' 23-21 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
The rookie speedster was the somewhat surprising leader in receiving yards and checked in second in targets for the Patriots on the afternoon. Thornton's touchdown grab came just past the midway point of the first quarter on a seven-yard catch, only the second score of his first pro season. Thornton's receiving yardage tally was also a career high, and he could once again play an important role in a critical Week 18 road battle versus the Bills.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Active versus Dolphins
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Thornton (knee) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.
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 lineup option in Week 17.
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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.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches one pass Sunday
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Thornton logged 17 of a possible 63 snaps on offense in Sunday's 10-3 win over the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton's Week 11 snap count represented a season low, and for the fourth consecutive game, the 2022 second-rounder caught just one pass (on two targets) for five yards. Until steady volume heads his way, Thornton is off the fantasy radar while working in a New England wideout corps that also includes Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: One catch in Week 9
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Thornton logged 42 of a possible 63 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Colts en route to catching one of his four targets for five yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Since scoring two TDs in Week 6 against the Browns, Thornton has caught one pass in each of his last three games. The 2022 second-rounder is off the fantasy radar for now, with Jakobi Meyers being the only New England wide receiver producing consistently enough to merit weekly lineup consideration.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Logs 61 snaps in Week 8
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Thornton, who was on the field for 61 of a possible 78 snaps on offense in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Jets, caught one of his two targets in the contest for 13 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton's season-high playing time total was the result of DeVante Parker (knee) being forced out of Sunday's contest after one snap. With Parker potentially being unavailable for the Patriots' Week 9 contest against the Colts, Thornton could continue to see added work this coming weekend, but until the rookie wideout sees steady volume he'll be a speculative fantasy lineup option.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches one pass Monday
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Thornton was on the field for 44 of a possible 52 snaps on offense in Monday's loss to the Bears, catching one of five targets for 19 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Though Nelson Agholor was back in the mix after missing a game due to a hamstring injury, he saw only three snaps as Thornton worked as the Patriots' No. 3 WR behind Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker. As the speedy rookie's two-TD effort in Week 6 suggests, Thornton has some playmaking upside, but in his current role he profiles as a hit-or-miss fantasy option.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Week 7 Waiver Priority List
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The Patriots aren't going to be the type of team to feature multiple receivers on a weekly basis, so keep that in mind with Thornton when it comes to Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker. That said, Nelson Agholor (hamstring) and Kendrick Bourne (toe) are hurt, and Thornton could start getting more touches. In Week 6 at Cleveland, he had his coming-out performance with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown on five targets, along with three carries for 16 yards and a rushing score. I like that the Patriots are trying to manufacture touches for Thornton, who is among the fastest receivers in the NFL. He's worth adding in deeper leagues for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Scores two TDs in Week 6
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Thornton, who was on the field for 40 of a possible 70 snaps on offense in Sunday's 38-15 win over the Browns, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught four of his five targets for 37 yards with a TD and carried three times for 16 yards and a rushing score in the contest.
Thornton saw an expanded role Week 6 alongside Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker, with Nelson Agholor (hamstring) inactive and Kendrick Bourne limited to four snaps due to a toe injury. The 2022 second-rounder's volume and fantasy upside Week 7 versus the Bears likely hinges on the availability of Agholor and Bourne, but in any case Thornton's speed gives him the potential to make plays in the coming weeks, thus making him a sleeper candidate in deeper formats.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches two passes in debut
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In his regular season debut, Thornton was on the field for 25 of possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 29-0 win over the Lions en route to catching two of his three targets for seven yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
The 2022 second-rounder missed New England's first four games due to a collarbone injury, but now that he's back in the mix, Thornton brings added speed to New England's pass-catching corps. However, with Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor (hamstring) and Kendrick Bourne also in the team's WR mix, Thornton currently doesn't have a steady path to targets.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Placed on IR
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The Patriots have placed Thornton (collarbone) on injured reserve, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Thornton, who is bouncing back from a procedure to repair a fractured clavicle that he suffered on Aug. 19, thus is slated to miss at least the first four games of the coming season, with the report suggesting that the wideout's initial recovery estimate called for a potential return to action in mid-to-late October. Once Thornton gets back into the mix, he'll add speed and depth to a New England WR corps currently headed by DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Undergoes procedure on clavicle
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Thornton underwent surgery this past Monday to repair a fractured clavicle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
The report notes that Thornton's recovery period should be in the 6-to-8 week range, which sets the stage for the 2022 second-rounder to miss time out of the gate this season. Once he returns to action, the speedy rookie will look to carve out a role in a New England wideout corps that also currently includes DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Likely out around eight weeks
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Thornton (collarbone) is expected to miss around eight weeks, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.
Thornton fractured his collarbone during Friday's preseason game against Carolina and now appears likely to miss a good chunk of the regular season. While he wasn't headed for a starting job, the second-round pick reportedly had a nice training camp and was at least in the mix for snaps off the bench before this injury.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Finds end zone in preseason opener
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Thornton caught both of his targets for nine yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 23-21 preseason loss to the Giants.
Thornton capped the first quarter with a two-yard touchdown catch to get the Patriots on the board, putting an exclamation point on his NFL debut. The rookie second-round pick out of Baylor was drafted to stretch the field in the methodical New England offense, but Thornton could carve out a more prominent role if he proves to be an effective option in the red zone, and Thursday's touchdown should help in that regard. Thornton will look to build on this promising debut when the Patriots host the Panthers on Aug. 19 for their next preseason game.
