Drake Maye Fantasy Overview

2025 Role & Results

A Massive Breakout Season

Maye’s 17-game season included 4,394 yards, 31 TDs, and 8 INTs, plus 450 yards and four more scores on the ground. The passing TDs ranked third among QBs, while both yardage totals ranked fourth.

It all added up to a QB3 finish in total fantasy points and QB4 in points per game, with:

• four top-five weeks
• eight more inside the top-12
• and just one finish worse than QB18.

A Useful Rushing Role

Maye ranked 12th in pass attempts (492) but just 25th in attempts per game (28.9). He finished third in carries (103).

Maye threatened defenses vertically with a 13.7% deep-throw rate, seventh among 36 QBs with at least 200 total attempts.

The Pats clearly trusted Maye in the red zone, ranking 16th in red-zone pass rate but sixth in RZ pass rate over expected. Maye also ranked fifth among QBs in RZ carries.

League-Leading Efficiency

Efficiency drove Maye’s breakout season.

Among 36 QBs with 200+ pass attempts, he ranked:

• first in completion rate
• first in completion rate over expected
• first in yards per attempt
• third in catchable-throw rate

Only Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Brock Purdy beat Maye’s 0.60 fantasy points per dropback.

One WR Made the Difference

Maye found success on an offense that broke in a new OC (Josh McDaniels) and No. 1 WR (Stefon Diggs).

This unit ranked just 26th in pass rate and 18th in neutral pass rate. Play volume didn’t help either: New England finished 18th in total plays and 30th in pace.

Diggs’ 85-1,013-4 line carried a thin pass-catching group that also included Hunter Henry, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas.

Maye Plays All 17 Games

Maye suffered his first documented concussion in Week 8 of 2024 but recovered in time to start the next week.

A right shoulder injury in the AFC Championship limited Maye in the Super Bowl but shouldn’t hinder him going forward.

2026 Opportunity & Projection

Supporting Cast Gets a Major Boost

Romeo Doubs joined in March on a four-year, $68 million deal ($39 million guaranteed) after setting career highs last year in catch rate, yards per catch, and yards per route run. He’s a clear upgrade on Hollins at WR2.

New England lessened the burden on Doubs by trading for A.J. Brown. The 29-year-old delivered 5.4 catches, 81.1 yards, and 0.51 TDs per game during his four-year run in Philly. The past two seasons brought a mild production dip and four missed games with hamstring issues, but Brown still gives Maye a stronger lead target than the 32-year-old Diggs.

Last year’s No. 2 through No. 7 target earners return, including reliable TE Hunter Henry. He accounted for nearly 23% of Maye’s passing TDs in 2025 and has missed only one game over the past two seasons.

The O-line returns four of five starters from a unit that ranked 13th in ESPN’s pass-block win rate and 24th in adjusted sack rate. New LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, a former Round 1 pick, could upgrade the interior if healthy, but he’s coming off a lost 2025 because of his second career torn triceps. (He also tore an Achilles’ in 2023.)

Overall, Maye’s environment looks significantly better compared to 2025.

No Change to the Coaching Staff

The Pats return the staff that steered Maye to a high-end fantasy finish on modest volume, and McDaniels said in June that Maye is showing a better understanding of the offense in Year 2.

After adding Brown and Doubs, New England looks likely to lean a bit more on the pass. Our projections have the Pats at a 54.8% pass rate, up from 53.1% in 2025.

A Repeat Season is Within Reach

Maye already showed the formula last season: top-tier passing efficiency plus real rushing volume. Another 72% completion rate or 8.9 yards per attempt is too much to expect. Over the past 20 seasons, Maye’s completion rate ties Drew Brees’ 2017 mark for fifth best, while his YPA ranks fourth. Still, Brown and Doubs give him more margin for error, and his rushing growth from Year 1 to Year 2 keeps the ceiling in the top five.