Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. New England will roll out Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton and DeVante Parker as its top 4 WRs. Meyers is the only viable fantasy option.
With WR Jakobi Meyers out, Patriots WR DeVante Parker led the team in targets (10), receptions (5) and receiving yards (156) in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. Each of Parker's 5 catches went for 24+ yards, which is a credit to him and a reminder that this Baltimore defense is once again looking like a high-ceiling matchup for opponent passing. Kendrick Bourne checked in 2nd among wideouts with 4-58 on 5 targets. Nelson Agholor caught 2 of 3 targets for 41 yards. Lil'Jordan Humphrey actually checked in 2nd among WRs in playing time and routes but garnered just 1 target.
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (knee) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Ravens. That leaves Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne as New England’s top 3 WRs.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (knee) is not expected to play vs. the Ravens today. He got in just a limited practice on Friday this week, so this isn't a big surprise. Meyers' absence leaves behind 29% of New England's targets over the first 2 games. WR Nelson Agholor becomes a more interesting Week 3 fantasy play with Meyers out. DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne figure to operate as the #2 and #3 WRs.
Patriots QB Mac Jones and the 1st-team offense had another rough outing in Friday night's preseason finale. Jones completed 9 of 13 passes for 71 yards (5.5 YPA), 0 TDs and 1 INT across 4 series. The possessions went: 3-and-out, INT, 3-and-out, FG. The offense reportedly struggled throughout training camp, too, looking uncomfortable in the Josh McDaniels-less system. Pass protection has also been a problem. It'll be tough to trust any piece of this Patriots passing game in early-season fantasy lineups.
The Athletic's Chad Graff lists WR Kendrick Bourne as a "faller" and WR Nelson Agholor as a "riser." Graff believes Bourne is now behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Agholor on the depth chart. Agholor "has been the Patriots’ best wide receiver in most practices and has shown an improved connection with Jones," Graff writes. We're not overly interested in any of these guys as draft targets, but we'll continue to monitor the pecking order.
Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton suffered a collarbone injury in Friday night's preseason game, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport doesn't say Thornton's collarbone is broken, but it sure sounds like that's the case. Thornton's season is "now put on hold, though based on his timetable, the injury to the speedster is not season ending." We'll look for a more concrete timeline, but Thornton isn't worth a roster spot in redraft leagues. His absence leaves Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor as New England's clear top 4 WRs.
Update: NFL Network's Mike Giardi reports that Thornton is expected to miss "around 8 weeks."
ESPN’s Mike Reiss believes “there is potential for significant improvement in the deep passing game” for the Patriots this season. It appears Reiss bases this opinion primarily on how the deep-passing game has looked in early workouts. There’s certainly room for improvement. QB Mac Jones ranked just 26th among 31 qualifiers in deep-ball completion rate, according to ESPN Stats. He checked in above-average in on-target rate on downfield passes. In addition to more experience for the young QB and another off-season with his pass-catchers, New England added WR DeVante Parker via trade and speedy WR Tyquan Thornton in the 2nd round of the draft. Increasing his deep-ball production would be especially valuable for Jones, because he lacks rushing production and New England doesn’t figure to be a high-volume passing offense
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne has cleared the league COVID protocol and will be available for Sunday's game against the Bills. It's still a negative matchup for his fantasy outlook, though. We wouldn't be looking to use Bourne in fantasy football lineups unless you need to.
Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bills. WR Kendrick Bourne remains on the COVID list and is unlikely to play this weekend. WR N'Keal Harry (hip) is listed as questionable after a limited week of practice. He figures to start if he's able to play on Sunday. But WR Jakobi Meyers and TE Hunter Henry will likely be the focal points of New England's passing game.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne has been placed on the COVID list, putting him in jeopardy of missing Sunday's game vs. the Bills. WR Nelson Agholor is also iffy for that one after sustaining a concussion in Saturday night's loss to the Colts. N'Keal Harry would be left as New England's #2 WR if Bourne and Agholor miss Sunday's game.
Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (ankle) did not practice on Thursday. That comes after a limited workout on Wednesday. So he appears to be in real danger of missing this weekend's opener against the Dolphins. Agholor's absence would vault Kendrick Bourne into the #2 WR role behind #1 Jakobi Meyers.
Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald this week led his list of potential "breakout" Patriots for 2021 with WR Jakobi Meyers. Callahan points to the "only" potential hurdles for Meyers being injury or "dominant summers from Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne," whom New England paid up for in free agency. "But those free-agent additions undoubtedly saw what everyone else did at OTAs and minicamp this spring: Meyers was the best receiver on the field," Callahan writes. We've certainly read other similar offseason buzz for Meyers, who claimed 28% of Patriots targets from Week 7 on last season. At WR68 in current FFPC best-ball drafting and a mid-13th round price on Underdog, Meyers at least looks worth some shots in your drafts. We'll see how things go for him and the rest of the Pats offense through training camp and preseason. Mac Jones taking over for Cam Newton at QB would also likely be good for Meyers' target volume.
NBC Sports' Tom Curran believes Jakobi Meyers will be the "most reliable and productive Patriots wideout in 2021." New England added Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne to the WR room this offseason, but Curran believes Meyers' understanding of the offense, route-running ability and reliable hands will give him the edge. It's a situation to track in training camp and preseason action, but Meyers is a nice target right now at his late ADP.
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