Patriots QB Mac Jones miraculously didn’t get benched in Week 6 vs. the Raiders. The former first-round NFL draft pick completed 24 of 33 passes for 200 yards with 1 INT in the contest. For those keeping score at home, Jones' 5 total fantasy points over the last three weeks match his number of INTs thrown in that span. He's indeed been a nightmare of late. Whispers that HC Bill Belichick might make a change at QB have grown louder over the past couple of weeks, and Jones’ effort on Sunday didn’t do much to lessen his odds of being replaced as New England’s starter. We’ll see if he gets the nod again in Week 7 vs. Bills. If he does, he should be nowhere near fantasy lineups.
Patriots QB Mac Jones will be on a "short leash" vs. the Raiders today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "A poor opening few series could potentially trigger another QB to take snaps in Las Vegas," Rapoport writes. It's unclear, though, whether QB Bailey Zappe or QB Will Grier would replace Jones. Rapoport adds that New England has a package of plays ready for rookie QB Malik Cunningham. It's obviously a situation to stay far away from in Week 6 fantasy lineups.
Patriots insider Greg Bedard believes the team will give QB Will Grier a shot if QB Mac Jones continues to struggle. "From talking to people around the team, I think if Mac Jones doesn’t succeed this week, if he doesn’t retain his job, I think it’s Will Grier’s," Bedard said in a Tuesday radio appearance. Grier has thrown 52 regular-season passes since being selected in the third round of the 2019 draft -- and none since his 2019 rookie season. He would not be an exciting fantasy option if he does take over in New England, but he might be worth stashing in deep superflex and 2-QB leagues.
Patriots QB Mac Jones is expected to start Sunday's game vs. the Raiders, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. "I’m told this is still an important week of practice for [Jones] as the Patriots evaluate every position on the roster on the heels of the worst two losses of Bill Belichick’s career," Howe adds. Jones has been awful the past two weeks: 56% completion rate, 6.1 yards per attempt, 0 TDs, and four INTs. It sounds like there's still a chance that a bad week of practice sends him to the bench in favor of QB Bailey Zappe. Either way, you should be avoiding this situation in Week 6 fantasy lineups.
Patriots QB Mac Jones tried to play football in Week 5 vs. the Saints, but a pair of INTs and a lost fumble really got in the way of success. He completed just 12 of 22 passes for 110 yards before being benched for Bailey Zappe for the second week in a row. To make matters worse, one of Jones’ INTs was a pick-six TD, his third in 2023 alone. Jones started the year with some promising performances, but these last two weeks have to leave fantasy managers wondering how much longer it’ll be before New England makes a change at QB. We’ll see who’s under center in Week 6 vs. the Raiders.
Patriots QB Mac Jones was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Saints. New England was down 31-0 at that point, with Jones 12 of 22 for 110 yards, 0 TDs, two INTs, and fumble lost. QB Bailey Zappe will finish out the game for the Patriots. We'll see how he fares and who gets the Week 6 start vs. the Raiders.
Patriots QB Bailey Zappe got more reps in practice this week, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. QB Mac Jones has struggled the past two weeks, completing 54% of his passes with one TD and two INTs. "Other teams who watch the tape from the Cowboys game say Mac's eyes are down. He is looking at the rush. It's impossible to play on-time, efficient football like that," Pelissero says. "No change [at QB] is considered likely or imminent at this point," Pelissero adds. But it sure sounds like Jones' leash is shortening.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick said after Sunday's blowout loss to the Cowboys that QB Mac Jones remains the starter. Belichick indicated that Jones was pulled because of the lopsided score rather than his performance. Jones was not good against Dallas but had played reasonably well over the first three weeks of the season. He'll be back under center vs. the Saints next Sunday.
Patriots QB Bailey Zappe completed just four of nine passes for 57 yards after taking over for Mac Jones in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. Zappe took a sack and didn't pilot any scoring drives. But he at least avoided turnovers. We're guessing New England will go back to Jones for Week 5, but we'll watch for confirmation.
QB Mac Jones was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys, with the Patriots down 31-3. Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards, 0 TDs, and two INTs, one of which went for a pick-6. Jones also lost a fumble that was returned for a Dallas TD. He's been replaced by QB Bailey Zappe. We'll see about New England's plan at QB going forward.
Patriots QB Mac Jones completed 15 of 29 passes for 201 yards with 1 TD and no INTs in Week 3’s win vs. the Jets. He also added 13 rushing yards on 4 carries in the contest. Between the bad weather and the Jets’ offense playing poorly, Jones didn’t have to accomplish much to help secure the W. Next week, he’ll have a tough matchup against the Cowboys.
Patriots QB Mac Jones completed 31 of 42 passes for 231 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Sunday night’s divisional loss vs. the Dolphins. He also added 25 rushing yards on 3 carries in Week 2. Though this performance didn’t do much for fantasy managers, it’s been a revelation to see how much New England is throwing the ball through two weeks of the OC Bill O’Brien era. It’s wise to keep expectations low for Jones looking forward to the Patriots’ next couple of games (Week 3 @ Jets, Week 4 @ Cowboys).
Patriots QB Mac Jones threw for 316 yards and 3 TDs on 35-of-54 passing. He hit WR Kendrick Bourne for a pair of scores and TE Hunter Henry for the other. Jones also took just 2 sacks against a Philly D that racked up 70 last season. Overall, it was an impressive outing for a pass offense that stunk in 2022. Jones looks like at least a solid superflex play for a Week 2 home date with the Dolphins. Weeks 3 and 4 look tougher on the road against the Jets and Cowboys.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes New England’s WRs corps “seems only marginally better than last year’s.” Graff calls DeVante Parker an “x-factor” but admits he’s “not sold yet” on Tyquan Thornton. He also questions the contract given to JuJu Smith-Schuster because of his injury history. Kendrick Bourne, meanwhile, isn’t considered a roster lock. (Yeah, it’s pretty clear why the Pats pursued DeAndre Hopkins.) We’ll monitor this unit come training camp. The chemistry between JuJu and Mac Jones is something to really focus on, as the 26-year-old missed most of the spring with a knee issue.
Chad Graff of The Athletic writes that it was a “rough spring” for the Patriots’ O-line. Graff points out struggles at OT while noting that key RG Mike Onwenu missed spring practices (ankle surgery). We're not altering projections for Mac Jones or Rhamondre Stevenson. But we’ll keep a close eye on this unit as the pads come on at training camp.
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