If he can go, Michael Thomas is going to go.
The Saints star suffered a high-ankle injury in New Orleans' Week 1 win over Tampa Bay, but it's something Thomas believes he can play through, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, per sources informed of the situation.
New Orleans next plays on Monday night at the Las Vegas Raiders, giving Thomas another day for rest and treatment, and increasing his chances of playing.
Thomas suffered the injury during the game but still played 80.3 percent of New Orleans' offensive snaps in the victory. High-ankle issues tend to be troublesome and can result in increased time on the sideline, but it sounds as if Thomas' ailment is on the milder side.
That's obviously good news for New Orleans, which targeted the single-season receptions record-holder just five times Sunday. Thomas recorded a career-low 11 yards on three receptions (which tied for his lowest reception total in a single game in his career), a total that might have been influenced by his ankle ailment.
Going back to Week 17 of last season and including the playoffs, Thomas has had three straight games of 70 or fewer receiving yards, averaging less than five receptions and 42 yards per game, per NFL Research.
Hurt or not, defenses are going to key on Thomas. Playing through an injury won't help, but it should still aid others in finding opportunities to make a difference. On Sunday, those "others" were Alvin Kamara and Emmanuel Sanders. We'll see if Thomas can suit up for the national stage in a week.
