Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk (concussion) missed practice all week and is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Jets. The rookie is off to a rough start, catching just 10 of 26 targets for 78 yards and one TD through seven games. Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne figure to operate as New England’s top three WRs this weekend.
Douglas only had 3 targets, catching two for 14 yards against the Jaguars. He is just a week removed from his six cath, 92 yard game with a TD last week. Douglas’ snap count was down with the Patriots running more 12 personnel, so Douglas may be a volatile play going forward.
Patriots WR Demario Douglas has played almost exclusively in three-WR sets so far this season. But HC Jerod Mayo said after the Week 6 loss to the Texans that he'll "absolutely" consider playing Douglas in two-WR sets going forward. "He’s one of our best receivers, he can get open against anyone," Mayo added. Douglas was easily New England's most productive receiver vs. Houston, leading the team with nine targets, six catches, and 92 yards. He's now seen exactly nine targets in three of the last four games. More playing time would only boost his weekly fantasy floor and ceiling. Douglas is worth adding this week in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.
Patriots QB Drake Maye will start this weekend's game vs. the Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. New England hung on to QB Jacoby Brissett as long as it could -- but you can only stick with a QB averaging 5.2 yards per attempt for so long.
Patriots WR K.J. Osborn drew a team-high 6 targets in Sunday's upset win over the Bengals, catching just three for 21 yards. Those 3 receptions tied him with RB Rhamondre Stevenson for the team lead. No Patriot tallied more than 31 receiving yards, as QB Jacoby Brissett threw for only 121 yards on 15-of-24 passing. That target lead for Osborn also proved deceptive vs. the WR corps playing time.
Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett has been the starter for their opening week game against the Bengals. He was in a competition with rookie Drake Maye, who appeared toto be pulling closer to Brissett in the past week. Ultimately HC Jerod Mayo will go with the veteran presence early in the season, but Maye, the third overall pick in this year's draft, will likely become the starter sooner rather than later.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne will open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, according to multiple reports. That means Bourne will miss at least the first four games while continuing to work back from last October's ACL tear.
The Patriots are releasing WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to NFL Network. He was entering the second season of a three-year, $25.5 million deal signed last offseason.
Patriots rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk has impressed over his first week of training camp. NESN's Sean T. McGuire praised Polk's work across multiple drills and situations Tuesday, adding that the rookie "continues to stack [good] days."
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, when asked about the team's QB competition, Patriots HC Jerod Mayo commented that Jacoby Brissett "is the starting QB at this point in time".
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.
Chad Graff of The Athletic says Patriots WR Demario Douglas had an impressive spring. "Douglas was by far the Patriots’ best and most explosive playmaker in practice this spring," Graff says. "Every time he got the ball in his hands, good things seemed to happen for the offense."
The Patriots named Alex Van Pelt their new OC under HC Jerod Mayo. Van Pelt spent the last four seasons as Cleveland's OC, although he didn't call plays for the Browns. Van Pelt did call plays for the Bills way back in 2009. That team finished 30th in total yards and 28th in points under QBs Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards. Van Pelt worked as QBs coach for the Bucs, Packers, and Bengals in between his OC stints and is expected to bring a West Coast offense to New England. We'll see what the Patriots do at QB this offseason. They hold the third overall pick and will have a crack at USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and/or LSU's Jayden Daniels.
The Patriots are set to hire Jerod Mayo as their new HC, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Mayo has been a lifelong Patriot. He was drafted by the team in 2008, played all eight seasons of his career in New England, and then spent the last five years as their inside LBs coach. The team had reportedly been planning for Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick for a while. We'll see what changes Mayo makes to the rest of the coaching staff, particularly whether he keeps OC Bill O'Brien.
Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) is out for Sunday night’s game vs. the Broncos. Demario Douglas, DeVante Parker, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton will be New England’s top four WRs for that one. Douglas is the only one inside the top 50 in the Week 16 WR Rankings.
Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. WRs DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton (hamstring) are active. WR Demario Douglas is back from his concussion and is the only viable fantasy play in this WR corps.
Patriots WR Demario Douglas (concussion) is not listed on the final Week 15 injury report. He’ll be back for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. Douglas has averaged 7.6 targets and 5.2 catches over his last five games – although very little of that came with QB Bailey Zappe. WRs DeVante Parker (knee), JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle), and Tyquan Thornton (hamstring) are all listed as questionable. Those guys shouldn’t be in your Week 15 fantasy plans.
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