ESPN's Mike Reiss posited this week who the early favorites might be to lead the Patriots at WR. "Former Viking K.J. Osborn ... has positioned himself as an early leader among Patriots receivers," Reiss wrote. "Second-year slot receiver DeMario Douglas appears as quick as ever. Add in [rookie Ja'Lynn] Polk, and that could be the team's top three targets if everyone is healthy." That assessment came amid a longer intro that focused on Polk's work. The second-round pick has reportedly impressed with his work in practice. He -- and the others -- face a seemingly wide-open fight for jobs in a WR corps that stunk last year and didn't spend much on adding to it this offseason.

Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte was arrested for allegedly placing more than 8,900 bets while underaged with a fake account, according to NOLA.com's Wilson Alexander. At least six of those bets were placed on the LSU team Boutte played on. We'll see how the Patriots and the NFL respond to these allegations, but Boutte had very little dynasty value to begin with. He fell to the sixth round of the 2023 draft and caught just two balls as a rookie.

Patriots WR Demario Douglas (concussion) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Steelers. He remained sidelined in practice all week, so he still has lots of work to do to clear the protocol for Week 15. WR Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) has also been ruled out for Thursday night. DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton figure to operate as New England's top three WRs in Pittsburgh. Parker is the best bet for targets but is no better than a WR4 in an offense implied for only 12.5 points.

Patriots WR Demario Douglas (concussion) missed practice all week and is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Chargers. WR Kayshon Boutte (shoulder, illness) is also out. That leaves New England with WRs DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Jalen Reagor. You could take a shot on Parker, Smith-Schuster, or Thornton in DFS, but you shouldn’t mess with the situation in season-long fantasy leagues.