2025 New England Patriots Fantasy Preview

2025 New England Patriots Fantasy Preview The New England Patriots entered the 2025 offseason with a clear mandate to rebuild around second-year quarterback Drake Maye after consecutive 4-13 seasons in 2023 and 2024. With new head coach Mike Vrabel, the most cap space in the NFL ($120 million), and nine draft picks, the Patriots focused on bolstering the offensive line, adding playmakers for Maye, and reinforcing the defense. Maye far exceeded expectations in Year One. Despite playing behind the second-worst pass-blocking line and a questionable group of pass-catchers, Maye showed real promise. In 10 starts where Maye attempted 20-plus passes, he averaged 223.1 passing yards with 15 TD passes and 10 interceptions. He also chipped in another 41 yards with two more scores on the ground. That’s a 17-game pace of 3,793 passing yards, 697 rushing yards, and 29 total touchdowns. Even better, GM Eliot Wolf invested the No. 4 pick on OT Will Campbell, the premier tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft. Additional reinforcements and the arrival of Vrable bring a renewed sense of optimism to New England for the first time in three years. Second-round RB TreVeyon Henderson is one of those upgrades for a Patriots’ offense that ranked 31st in 2024. New England’s rushing attack ranked 26th in yards per carry (4.0) and 28th in EPA per rush (-0.08). Henderson’s 8.1 percent explosive run rate complements Rhamondre Stevenson (6-0, 227 lbs, 4.2 YPC) and Antonio Gibson (6-0, 228 lbs, PFF grade: 75.4), forming a dynamic backfield. Henderson is an excellent blocker and offers three-down potential in an ascending offense. Another significant addition for the club was signing WR Stefon Diggs to a three-year deal. Diggs is coming off a torn ACL but is expected to be ready for Week 1. Diggs brings slot/perimeter flexibility and an alpha mentality to a unit that sorely needed a veteran infusion. Third-round rookie WR Kyle Williams boasts 4.4 speed and excellent downfield ball skills. Williams also scored 14 touchdowns for Washington State and provides much-needed speed on the perimeter. With Diggs and Williams outside, Demario Douglas will remain a consistent source of targets in the slot. Douglas should be a reliable, high-floor source of targets. Maye relied on his tight ends a ton last year. New offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels prefers versatile tight ends, which bodes well for Hunter Henry, who is coming off a TE11 finish. Henry will likely see more in-line snaps, where he can’t be put in favorable mismatches. New England also re-signed Austin Hooper, who caught 45 balls for 476 yards and three scores last season. Fantasy Grade: C QB Maye, Drake, NE [QB1] There is a lot of hype around Drake Maye after a rookie season that resulted in 17 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Maye made a mark as a runner, where he led the league with 7.8 yards per rush. He wasn’t as effective as a passer. In 10 full games, Maye topped 250 yards only twice. He also ranked 30th in adjusted yards per attempt (5.7) and 28th in air yards (190.8/game). But the additions of veteran WR Stefon Diggs and a pair of rookies (RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Kyle Williams) will help. ADVICE: Rushing upside puts him in upside QB2 range. QB Dobbs, Joshua, NE [QB2] After trading Joe Milton, the Patritos signed journeyman Josh Dobbs as a mentor and insurance for Drake Maye, who missed four games in his rookie season with separate hand and head injuries. Dobbs was decent with extended playing time in 2023 and boasts a 103.4 Athletic Score. He performs well as a runner but is more limited than Maye as a passer. If a Maye injury occurs, Dobbs has some QB2 streaming appeal. But he is better off left on the waiver wire. ADVICE: Potentially a streamer if Drake Maye is injured. RB Henderson, TreVeyon, NE [RB1] Sleeper TreVeyon Henderson dazzled in his freshman year, with 184 carries for 1,255 yards and 15 touchdowns. He added 27 catches for 312 yards and four scores. Injuries and sharing carries with Quinshon Judkins later curbed his role, but his career 77 catches for 853 yards and six touchdowns on 95 targets, paired with a 4.43 40-yard dash, and 91st-percentile Speed Score, showcase his potential. Unfortunately, the presence of Rhamondre Stevenson complicates Henderson’s early role. However, he’s a better runner than Stevenson and had no fumbling issues at Ohio State. ADVICE: Potential three-down speedster is the most explosive back in New England. High-upside RB3. RB Stevenson, Rhamondre, NE [RB2] New England wanted to add speed to their backfield and did so by adding TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Stevenson has regressed for two consecutive years. He ranked 39th in yards per touch (4.0) last season, led all running backs with seven fumbles, and ranked 140th with a (-39.1) EPA. Mike Vrabel will likely start with a committee, but Henderson checks all the boxes to emerge as New England’s best back. That makes Stevenson a change-of-pace option with some plus pass-catching and red-zone value. ADVICE: More likely to be New England’s 1B than 1A, Stevenson has middling RB3 value. RB Gibson, Antonio, NE [RB3] Gibson was in and out of the starting lineup last season. Overall, he compiled 744 scrimmage yards and a single score on 143 touches (RB47). However, with TreVeyon Henderson now in the fold, it will be hard for Gibson to command enough touches to be fantasy-relevant. WR Diggs, Stefon, NE [WR1] Diggs saw a 52.8 percent slot rate last season in Houston before he tore his ACL. Now 31 and coming off a major knee injury, that inside usage makes sense for the Patriots, who desperately needed wide receiver help. Diggs posted top-20 weekly numbers in four of his eight games last season, catching four-plus balls in every game. Sans much established target competition in New England, Diggs will be the team’s No. 1 wideout. Reportedly, Diggs is running ahead of pace in his recovery, putting him tentatively in

2024 New England Patriots Fantasy Preview

2024 New England Patriots Fantasy Preview The New England Patriots will move into a new era after selecting Drake Maye out of UNC with the No. 3 Draft pick. Maye has the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback with exceptional arm talent and reliable running ability. He can stand in the pocket and has great velocity and deep-ball accuracy. However, if his first read is covered, he is often prone to mistakes and occasionally lacks accuracy on intermediate throws. While he’s certainly an upgrade from Mac Jones, he won’t be fantasy-relevant except in Superflex and dynasty formats. New England doesn’t have a ton of offensive firepower and will likely struggle in Maye’s debut season. Look for the Patriots to lean on the running game with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson in the backfield. Stevenson only played 12 games last season but still finished as the RB35 and averaged 12.1 PPR points per game. He’s one year removed from a 1,000-yard season. Stevenson should get the bulk of the early down opportunities but Gibson will see plenty of action in a change-of-pace role. Maye will likely check it down as much as possible until he gets used to the speed of the NFL, so Gibson could be a sneaky late-round fantasy pick. The Pats have some solid tight ends in Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, and even rookies Mitchell Wilcox and Jaheim Bell. But New England’s receivers leave a lot to be desired. Mac Jones was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last year while having to lean on receivers Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. None of those players instill fear in opposing secondaries. Douglas was the most efficient wideout on the roster in 2023 but only managed to finish as the WR63 in PPR formats. The Pats realized that to compete, they needed to improve their skill position players. Enter second-round Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk. Polk should be on the field in three-receiver sets next to Bourne and Douglas. Additionally, the Patriots also took a shot on Javon Baker out of UCF in the fourth round but he’ll be more of a project. For the first time in two decades, the New England Patriots are in a complete rebuild. They aren’t expected to contend but they have some young players worth monitoring. Overall, this is not an offense to prioritize in fantasy drafts. Quarterbacks QB DRAKE MAYE – BYE WEEK FILL-IN Drake Maye has the toughest road of the presumptive 2024 rookie starters. New England is just starting a rebuild after falling to 30th in offense and last in scoring in 2023. Maye (6-4, 223) has ideal size, excellent athleticism, and a cannon arm. On the other hand, Maye was a divisive prospect whose production plummeted when facing pressure and he struggled to consistently go through progressions. Additionally, the Patriots will give veteran Jacoby Brissett every opportunity to open the season as their starter. New England also has the second-lowest win total this season. Even if he starts Week 1, Maye will face plenty of attrition this year, making him a fantasy option to avoid. ADVICE: QB2 only in dynasty formats QB JACOBY BRISSETT – LOW POTENTIAL ADVICE: If Drake Maye isn’t deemed ready the Pats won’t hesitate to open the season with Brissett under center. The veteran journeyman is capable of posting solid fantasy QB2 numbers in spurts. Subsequently, Brissett is becoming more fantasy-relevant in deeper Superflex drafts. Running Backs RB RHAMONDRE STEVENSON – QUALITY BACKUP Stevenson was a popular breakout candidate last summer. However, New England put the ‘offense’ in offensive and Stevenon’s season was cut short due to a high-ankle sprain. Before going down, Stevenson was averaging 15.0 fantasy points per game in the final four games in which he received double-digit carries. The Patriots are projected to win the fewest games in the AFC. They also have the league’s second-toughest schedule. Additionally, Antonio Gibson looms as a threat to cut into Stevenson’s receiving role. Stevenson should lead the backfield in carries and if Gibson struggles to adapt, could be a sneaky ‘hero’ RB candidate at a discounted price. ADVICE: Flex play with some pass-catching. RB ANTONIO GIBSON – QUALITY BACKUP Gibson only had a 43% success rate in zone concepts last season, some 10% worse than Rhamondre Stevenson. The Patriots will switch to a zone-blocking scheme. That means Gibson may be reduced to change-of-pace duties. Gibson has been a productive receiver but appears to firmly be the RB2 behind Stevenson. Things can change, of course. There has been some talk of Gibson having a legitimate chance of unseating Stevenson and being a quality post-hype sleeper. However, the analytics have not been in his favor. View Gibson as more of an RB4/5 with some pass-catching upside. ADVICE: RB4 with limited potential in a zone-blocking scheme. Wide Receivers WR DEMARIO DOUGLAS – BYE WEEK FILL-IN Douglas emerged as New England’s top receiver last year, catching 49-of-79 targets for 561 scoreless yards. He commanded a healthy 24.8% target share but wasn’t particularly effective. Douglas ended up with a negative EPA for an offense that ranked 28th in passing. New England’s 2024 offense is in a state of flux, with a new quarterback and several new pass-catchers added to the mix. Douglas is the favorite to open the season as the Patriots’ slot receiver but he’s assuredly going to see a reduced target share. He’s little more than a WR5/6 in deeper leagues. ADVICE: Will contend for starting slot duties but has very little fantasy value. WR KENDRICK BOURNE – BYE WEEK FILL-IN ADVICE: Bourne will enter training camp penciled in as one of New England’s starters. But with a new regime, new quarterback, and added competition, he is by no means a sure bet. View Bourne as an end-of-roster depth add with limited ceiling. WR JA’LYNN POLK – BYE WEEK FILL-IN ADVICE: New England’s receiving corps is tough to handicap, but Polk has good size (6-1, 203,) hands, and excelled against zone coverage. The odds are good that Polk will earn a

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 14

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 14 Remember when Thursday was ‘Must See TV’? That no longer applies. After being blessed with a terrific game last week that featured no punts, football fans will be hard-pressed to be excited about the

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 14

Remember when Thursday was ‘Must See TV’? That no longer applies. After being blessed with a terrific game last week that featured no punts, football fans will be hard-pressed to be excited about the Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 14.

After watching a game with no punts, Week 14 features two of the five lowest-scoring teams in football. New England is coming off a 6-0 shutout. The Patriots have scored one touchdown total in their last three games. Additionally, being shutout by the Chargers’ 28th-ranked defense does not bode well for a trip to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers defense that has surrendered the sixth-fewest points.

Meanwhile, only four other teams have mustered fewer points on offense than Pittsburgh. Additionally, the Steelers are now trotting out their No. 2 quarterback on short rest.

The Steelers opened as slight favorites and a futile total of 35 points plummeted down to a meager 30.

Hardly a must-see event- this AFC duel is strictly for diehards and fantasy fanatics.

Matchup

TEAM	OFFENSE	PASS	RUSH	YDS/PLAY	POINTS
New England Patriots	28	23	21	28	32
Pittsburgh Steelers	26	28	14	25	28

These two teams put the offense in ‘offensive’.

New England has struggled in all facets of assembling a credible offense. They have scored the fewest points in football. Also, New England has a pathetic 10-to-14 TD-to-INT ratio. Finally, they rank 31st in average starting position, percentage of drives resulting in points, and dead-last in field goal percentage.

Things have been marginally better in Pittsburgh, especially since dismissing Matt Canada. The Steelers are a respectable 14th with 1,384 rushing yards and lead the NFL with only 10 turnovers. Mike Tomlin has done another fantastic job guiding a very marginal offensive unit to a 7-5 record.

Finally, acclimate yourself with Pressley Harvin III and Bryce Baringer, the team’s punters.

New England Offense

Despite getting shutout last week, Bill Belichick will…

How will Thursday’s Patriots vs. Steelers game go?

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NFL Week 1 Eagles at Patriots: DFS & Fantasy Preview

NFL Week 1 Eagles at Patriots: DFS & Fantasy Preview Betting Line: Eagles – 5 Over/Under: 45.0 Philadelphia comes a sensational season in 2022, but they finished one step short of greatness. Jalen Hurts offers power running with developing value in the passing game. The Eagles have a top offensive line, and their defense created plenty of pressure on the quarterback last season. Philly has three excellent receiving options (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert) while adding D’Andre Smith in the offseason. New England is struggling to find their offensive identity after losing Tom Brady a few seasons ago. The Patriots have talent on defense, and they want to run the ball to control the clock. Mac Jones is a much better player than most believe. He can’t reach elite status without better play and production from his receiving corps. Rhamondre Stevenson will get plenty of touches this season, while Ezekiel Elliott brings experience off the bench. Note: The fantasy points per $1,000 are based on the early projections for Week 1. The above grid shows the top players excepted to contribute in Week 1 in the fantasy games. I listed each player’s salary at DraftKings and FanDuel, plus their fantasy points expected per $1,000 of salary invested. In GPP (grand prize pools) events, the goal is to find players with a chance to score four times their salary at DraftKings ($50,000 salary cap and three times at FanDuel ($60,000 salary cap). Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts Hurts continues to be a beast in the run game, highlighted by his stats in 2022 (165/760/13) despite missing two weeks. The improvement in his receiving options last year led to career-highs in completions (306), pass attempts (460), passing yards (3,701), passing touchdowns (22), yards per pass attempts (8.0), and completion rate (66.5). He passed for 300 yards or more in five matchups (333/1, 340/3, 380/3, 315/0, and 301/1), lifting him to third in quarterback scoring (423.05) in four-point passing touchdown formats. Hurts scored more than 30.00 fantasy points (37.35, 31.00, 30.05, 31.25, 31.35, 38.20, 32.55, 39.5, and 45.20) in nine of his 18 starts (including the postseason). New England ranked seventh defending quarterback (19.16 FPPG), with failure in two matchups (30.70 and 35.50 fantasy points). Quarterbacks rushed for 322 yards on 70 carries vs. the Patriots with two scores. To reach a winning score in Week 1, Hurts must score more than 30.00 fantasy points. It’s not the best matchup, but he is still a coin flip in any week due to his high floor in the run game and his exceptional receiving options. D’Andre Swift Swift appeared to kick down the fantasy door in Week 1 (15/144/1 with three catches for 31 yards) of 2022. Unfortunately, Detroit only gave him 17 touches over the following two games, leading to 133 combined yards with one score and five catches. A shoulder issue cost him three weeks plus a shallow role over the next five matchups (23/61/2 with 16 catches for 109 yards and one touchdown). Swift gained 453 yards with three touchdowns and 24 catches on 73 touches over his final six games. He finished the year ranked 21st in running back scoring (191.10) in PPR formats, with three weeks of success (26.50, 21.10, and 27.70 fantasy points). The Lions only had him on the field for 34.7% of their plays in 2022, which invites a higher ceiling with a higher role and a healthy season. The Eagles running backs had only 48 catches for 262 yards and no catches on 61 targets last season. Philadelphia should give the most touches in Week 1, but Swift doesn’t appear to have upside in scoring in close or catching many balls. To score 22.00 fantasy points, he needs a touchdown with more than 100 combined yards and about five catches. A three-back rotation isn’t his friend. Kenneth Gainwell With the Eagles’ abandoning the running back position in the passing game last season, Gainwell finished with 409 combined yards with four touchdowns and 23 catches. His only fantasy game of value (12/112/1 with one catch for nine yards) came in the first round of the postseason. There has been positive talk about Gainwell over the summer, but his role/opportunity is unclear. More of a gamble while needing 16.00 fantasy points at DraftKings to pay off. A.J. Brown The Eagles threw the ball 81 more times than I expected to their wide receivers in 2022, giving Brown a much better opportunity. He finished with career-highs in catches (88), receiving yards (1,496), and targets (145) while scoring 11 touchdowns and gaining an impressive 17.0 yards per catch. Brown gained 20 or more yards on 26.1% of his catches. His best output came in five games (10/155, 6/156/3, 8/119/2, 9/181, and 6/103). He averaged 8.5 targets last year. Based on his salary and outcomes in 2022, Brown would have filled his salary bucket 20% of the time over his 20 games played. Wide receivers had 207 catches for 2,688 yards and 15 touchdowns on 338 targets against New England in 2022. I don’t expect a 30.00 fantasy game, so I’ll look for upside elsewhere. DeVonta Smith Last year, Smith saw his opportunity grow by over 30%, leading to an exceptional year (95/1,196/7 on 136 targets). He caught 69.9% of his chances while being an impact player from Week 15 to Week 17 (5/126, 8/113/2, and 9/115) when fantasy championships were on the line. Smith gained more than 100 yards in three other matchups (8/169/1, 5/102/1, and 7/100). His season started with a goose egg on four targets, with emptiness in three other contests (3/17, 5/23, 2/22, and 2/36). Over his final 12 starts (including the postseason), Smith had 70 catches for 951 yards and six touchdowns on 105 targets. Smith needs about 29.00 fantasy points at DraftKings to finish as an edge play in Week 1. He reached that threshold twice (30.90 and 31.30 – 10% of the time) last season. I expect more big plays in