There's no QB competition in New England, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official website. "Mac Jones works hard, he's bought in, and his confidence is returning," Lazar writes. "Jones' command as a field general at the line of scrimmage is lightyears ahead of where things were last year. ... Jones is also throwing with his vintage touch and accuracy on crossers and fades (outside/slot) to generate big plays." Jones still isn't an exciting fantasy pick. He doesn't offer rushing upside, and New England's pass-catching corps is underwhelming. But being locked in as the starter at least makes Jones a fine QB3 target in superflex and best-ball drafts.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick refused to commit to QB Mac Jones as his 2023 starter when asked at the league meetings this week. “Everybody will get a chance to play," Belichick said. "Everybody that’s on our roster, if they earn the opportunity to play, then based on what they do in practice and all that, then they’ll get an opportunity to play.” It's a classic Belichickian response that we're not reading much into. QB Bailey Zappe was better than expected when pressed into duty last season. But Jones is the guy New England spent a 1st-round pick on just two years ago. He'll have a much better chance this season now that the Patriots have an actual OC in Bill O'Brien running the offense. That said, Jones is an unexciting QB2 option in early best-ball drafts.
The Patriots are signing TE Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal worth "up to" $9 million, according to multiple reports. Gesicki was a forgotten man in HC Mike McDaniels' Dolphins offense last year, mustering just 32 catches for 362 yards and 5 TDs on a 45% snap rate. He's still just 27, though, and topped 700 receiving yards in both 2020 and 2021. He finished both of those seasons as a top-9 TE in PPR points, while ranking 6th and then 13th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade. Gesicki joins Hunter Henry in New England's TE room, but the two have played different roles to date. Henry played a career-low 26.5% of his pass snaps inline (according to Pro Football Focus) and a career-high 61.6% in the slot in 2021, his first year with the Patriots. Last season, though, he spent exactly the same amount of time (43.3% of pass snaps) in each role -- with a career-low 10.3% out wide. Gesicki has spent just 19.5% of his career snaps inline -- the traditional TE spot -- 58.9% in the slot and 21.1% out wide. Considering the current state of the New England WR corps (JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne), there's room for both TEs to be relevant. We'll look for clues on how the targets will be divvied. For now, don't consider Gesicki more than a low-TE2 in fantasy football drafts. And there's no reason to downgrade Henry's fantasy outlook. He has already been going in mid-TE3 range of best ball drafts. His career-long penchant for end-zone targets makes him well worth mixing in at that level.
Patriots insider Mark Daniels hears that QB Mac Jones is "very excited" about the hiring of new OC Bill O'Brien. Jones seemed uncomfortable in and frustrated by New England's offense this past season. He and O'Brien briefly overlapped back in 2021, when O'Brien was hired by Alabama and Jones was in the pre-draft process. It’ll be “nice to start a new working relationship with someone that you already have had the opportunity to work with," a source close to Jones told Daniels. Jones is a 2023 bounce-back candidate after his numbers dipped across the board this past year -- although we're still not excited about his fantasy upside.
The Patriots hired Bill O'Brien as OC. He returns to the same position he held in 2011, when New England ranked 2nd in total yards and 3rd in points with QB Tom Brady. O'Brien was also on the Patriots' offensive staff from 2007 to 2010, so he has plenty of familiarity with the organization. Since leaving New England after that 2011 campaign, O'Brien spent 2 years as Penn State's HC, 7 years as the Texans' HC and, most recently, the past 2 years as Alabama's OC. If nothing else, the Patriots will have a legitimate offensive mind running the offense in 2023 -- something they didn't have this past season.
NBC Sports' Tom Curran hears that "offensive coaching reassignments" are expected in New England this offseason. In other words, expect a legitimate offensive coordinator to be hired after the Patriots experimented with a combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the offense this past season. We'll see exactly what the Patriots do to the offensive side of the staff, but it's likely to be good news for QB Mac Jones and the skill-position guys.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne caught 6 of 9 targets for 100 yards and a TD in Saturday's loss to the Bengals. He led the team in all 3 categories (tying Jakobi Meyers in receptions) and added a 29-yard carry. Bourne did all that despite trailing Meyers and rookie WR Tyquan Thornton in playing time and routes, according to Pro Football Focus. Meyers posted a 6-83-1 receiving line on 7 targets, though he inflated that with a 48-yard TD on a ball that was intended for WR Scotty Washington but bounced to Meyers off Washington's hands. Meyers did lead the team in pass routes, though, which makes him easier to like for a Week 17 clash with the Dolphins. Thornton finished with just 1 catch for 8 yards among 3 targets. QB Mac Jones threw for 240 yards and 2 TDs in the game.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick refused to commit to QB Mac Jones as his starter the rest of the way when asked on Thursday. Jones has been bad for most of the season and bottomed out with 112 passing yards on 3.6 yards per attempt vs. the Raiders last week. It's possible that we see QB Bailey Zappe again this year -- but you should be trying to avoid this passing game in fantasy lineups.
Patriots QB Mac Jones went an ugly 13-of-31 passing (41.9%) for 112 yards in Sunday's loss to the Raiders, with no TDs or INTs. WRs Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor tied for the target lead with 6 apiece but totaled just 3 receptions between them. This was Jones' 2nd straight game without a TD and 2nd among the past 3 with less than 200 yards. He's simply not a viable fantasy option at this stage.
Patriots QB Mac Jones racked up 382 yards on 28-of-39 passing in Thursday night's loss to the Vikings. He found WR Nelson Agholor and TE Hunter Henry for TDs. Jones nearly added a 3rd in the 3rd quarter, but Henry lost control of the ball as he went to the ground. Jones targeted RB Rhamondre Stevenson (10) and WR Nelson Agholor (8) most often. Agholor set a season high in targets and matched his top mark of the year in receptions. Jones beat his career high in yards by 61, hitting 300 for the 2nd time this season. He gets the 6th-best remaining schedule for QB scoring by our adjusted fantasy points allowed -- tops in the league from Week 14 on.
The Patriots threw for just 147 yards in Sunday's win over the Colts. QB Mac Jones completed a decent 66.7% of passes but averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt. WR Jakobi Meyers caught 5 of 6 targets but managed a mere 42 yards. TE Hunter Henry caught all 4 of his targets for 50 yards. RB Rhamondre Stevenson led the team with 7 targets and claimed Jones' sole TD pass. New England gets a Week 10 bye.
NFL Network's Mike Giardi reports that Patriots QB Mac Jones is dealing with numbness in the toes on his left foot as he continues to recover from his high-ankle sprain. It didn't impact Jones' on-field prep for the Jets this week, per Giardi, but it's safe to say that Jones still isn't at 100%. He shouldn't be in Week 8 fantasy lineups.
ESPN's Field Yates reports that Patriots QB Mac Jones will start Sunday's game against the Jets. Jones took "about 90%" of the 1st-team reps in Wednesday's practice, Yates adds. Jones was yanked from Monday night's loss to the Bears after going 3-of-6 for 13 yards and an INT. But QB Bailey Zappe managed just 185 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs the rest of the way. We'd expect Jones to remain New England' starter for the remains of the season, unless he really flops. He's just a QB2 in fantasy football.
The Patriots replaced QB Mac Jones with Bailey Zappe early in the 2nd quarter of Monday night's game against the Bears. The New England offense had started slowly but drove for TDs on each of the 1st 2 Zappe-led possessions. Jones' hadn't been showing ill effects from the high-ankle sprain that cost him the previous 3 games. He even ran for 24 yards before leaving. We'll see how this situation plays out.
Patriots QB Mac Jones (ankle) is active and expected to start tonight's game against the Bears, though the team website says "several reports indicate that rookie Bailey Zappe could also take snaps." If you're using Jones in a season-long lineup, then that shouldn't change anything. But have that in mind as you weigh DFS showdown options. Even if Zappe doesn't play, any concern for Jones' recovering ankle could motivate more rushing lean for the New England offense.
Patriots QB Mac Jones (ankle) is "on track" to start Monday night's game vs. the Bears, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jones took the "bulk" of the 1st-team reps in Saturday's practice, per Rapoport. Jones was struggling before going down with that high-ankle sprain in Week 3, and it figures to be a run-heavy attack from New England on Monday night. That leaves Jones as a weak QB2.
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