Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton (shoulder) has been placed on IR. He'll miss at least the first four weeks of the season. The second-year receiver was sidelined during the spring with a soft-tissue injury and then hurt his shoulder in mid-August. He's not worth rostering in redraft. JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Demario Douglas figure to open the season as New England's top four WRs.
The Athletic's Chad Graff wrote recently that Patriots rookie WR Demario Douglas "might end up" as the team's WR3 after strong camp performances. The sixth-round pick from Liberty has received "more snaps with starters in recent practices" than incumbent wideout Tyquan Thornton, per Graff, and is reportedly a threat to diminish the playing time of veteran Kendrick Bourne. It isn't easy to make the case for Douglas in redraft leagues. We don't have much hope for the fantasy prospects of the Pats' pass-catchers in 2023. However, this news presents managers in dynasty leagues with an intriguing dart-throw candidate to target in a trade or off the waiver wire. Consider stashing Douglas on your bench or taxi squad.
Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald says Patriots rookie WR Kayshon Boutte is making a "late surge for a roster spot." That's a good way to encapsulate his current fantasy standing. We've seen other positive recent reports on Boutte's performance, including from Kyed. And the sixth-round pick started his college career with intriguing upside before being derailed by injury. That upside makes him worth a stash in dynasty leagues. But that he's fighting for a roster spot on a time with a questionable-to-weak WR corps should temper any excitement.
Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton missed Saturday night's preseason game with what's believed to be a shoulder injury. "He's doing fine. It's a week-to-week situation," a source told The Boston Globe's Christopher Price. Thornton can't afford the missed reps. He was sidelined for part of the spring with a soft-tissue injury and has been out-played by rookie WR Demario Douglas in camp. At this point, Thornton is well off the redraft fantasy radar. We'll let you know when he returns from this latest injury.
Patriots insider Alex Barth believes, based on Sunday's practice, that Tyquan Thornton might be in a battle for the fourth WR spot with rookie Demario Douglas. Barth notes that WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Douglas worked with QB Mac Jones in positional drills early in the practice. And when the Patriots moved to team drills, Thornton and Douglas split reps evenly with the first-team offense. "This could be a sign of a true position battle, with the two proving to see who is the better option as the fourth wide receiver and main speed threat in the group," Barth writes. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but neither Thornton nor Douglas are recommended fantasy picks right now.
Demario Douglas has been the only Patriots rookie WR to get work with the first-team offense in camp so far, according to The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed. “He’s a smart kid,” HC Bill Belichick said Friday. “He picks things up well, learns quickly, so all things that work in his favor, but we’ll see how it goes when things get more competitive next week.” WRs Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne are reportedly off to slow starts in camp, opening up more opportunity for Douglas. The sixth-round rookie is still much more of a dynasty stash than redraft target, but we'll continue to keep an eye on him.
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte was “outplayed” in OTAs by fellow rookie WR Demario Douglas, per The Athletic’s Chad Graff. No surprise, then, that Graff doesn't expect the LSU product to make New England's 53-man roster. Douglas arrived 23 picks after Boutte, whose struggles we detailed around the NFL draft. We’ll see how the WR competition heats up when players put on pads. Both WRs remain miles from redraft relevance. And per our Dynasty Trade Value Chart, Boutte doesn’t move the needle at all in a perspective deal.
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