Who will lead the Patriots in receiving yards this year?

5. Demaryius Thomas

Out of the five players we selected for this list, Demaryius Thomas admittedly feels like the biggest long shot. He definitely has more proven talent and “street cred” than Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, Maurice Harris, or any number of the other New England receivers who will be fighting for a roster spot when training camp begins at the end of next month.

Unfortunately for Thomas, though, he’s also coming off a devastating Achilles injury suffered with the Houston Texans the day before Christmas Eve last year.

There’s really no telling whether Thomas will be his old self by the time September rolls around. He’s still working his way back from a very serious injury, but obviously his recovery status looked promising enough for the Patriots to take a chance on him back in April.

And while he wasn’t exactly lighting the league on fire last season before he went down, it’s worth noting that split his time between a mediocre Denver Broncos squad and the Houston Texans, and still managed to rack up almost 60 catches between them for 677 yards and five touchdowns. Those aren’t terrible numbers when put in the context of the situation he was in last season.

As a matter of fact, Thomas hasn’t finished a season with less than five touchdowns to his name since 2011, his second year in the league. He’s only three years removed from posting five straight seasons in Denver where he eclipsed 90 receptions and 1,000 yards like clockwork, so let’s not pretend that Thomas – if healthy – can’t be a major boon to Brady, McDaniels, and a dangerous Patriots offense.