Pierre Thomas (RB, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

Baller Move: Add in 14+ leagues

Owned in: 5% of Fleaflicker leagues.

Analysis: Did Pierre Thomas not find work this long because he was holding out for more money, or because the soon-to-be 31-year-old's skills have eroded? The logical answer is a little bit of both. Offered a veteran-minimum contract by the Texans at the beginning of the season, the former Saints back said "no thanks." Enter the spiraling San Francisco 49ers, who have lost Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush and Mike Davis to injury, and are going nowhere.

To his credit, Thomas has been a versatile, dependable professional his entire career. He's an efficient, tough runner, an excellent pass-catcher and a willing, competent blocker. However, he has always lacked a top gear, and that certainly hasn't improved with age.

In terms of fantasy value, Thomas enters into a situation that is about as bad as it can get. San Francisco's 282.2 yards per game stands as the NFL's worst. With the unremarkable Blaine Gabbert suddenly getting the nod over Colin Kaepernick, expect teams to flood the box and dare Gabbert to throw. Defenses will be able to do so without the need to sacrifice a spy because Kaepernick's threat to run is no longer a factor. Depending on how fast he gets up to speed with the playbook, Thomas could pad his stats with a few check-downs and screens per game. However, to expect Thomas to be anything more than a desperate flex option in the deepest of leagues is unrealistic.