New England Patriots Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett (hamstring) is "unlikely" to play vs. the 49ers today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But the team wants to see how he feels in pre-game warmups before making any decisions," Schefter adds. We'll get Washington's inactives around 11:30 am ET, but it sounds like it'll be QB Sam Howell back under center today. He's been so bad the past two weeks that he's been benched for Brissett. Howell would be tough to trust even as a QB2 in Week 17 fantasy lineups.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Bills. We’re projecting Henry to play, but the knee issue adds risk to his fantasy profile.

Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett hurt a hamstring in Friday's practice and is now questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers. We'll have to watch his status through the weekend. No Brissett would mean another start for Sam Howell. The San Francisco matchup hasn't been awful for QB scoring but has certainly been negative. Howell, meanwhile, has been awful over his past three games. He has finished three straight weeks with 127 passing yards or less, getting pulled in each of the past two games. He doesn't belong in any fantasy lineups, and his recent performance would mean bad news for Washington pass-catchers vs. Brissett starting. Watch for rankings updates as the situation becomes clearer.

The Patriots placed RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) on IR. He'll end up missing the final five games of the season. Stevenson got off to a brutally slow start this year, averaging just 60 total yards over his first eight games. He got rolling over his final three healthy games, though, averaging 91 rushing yards per game on 5.5 yards per carry plus 4.0 catches and 21.7 receiving yards per game. We'll see what New England adds to the backfield this offseason, but Stevenson figures to play a significant role again in 2024. Ezekiel Elliott will finish out this season as the Patriots' lead back. See where he sits in the Week 17 RB Rankings.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. That gives him a shot to return for this weekend's game vs. the Bills, although Henry would be just an emergency fantasy play. We'll keep you updated on his progress.

The Commanders named QB Jacoby Brissett the Week 17 starter. Brissett has provided a spark over the past two weeks, totaling 224 yards and 3 TDs on a 78.3% completion rate. We’re not excited about the former Colt as a fantasy starter – especially against the 49ers. But Brissett raises the outlook for Washington’s WR corps, most notably Terry McLaurin. See where he and Brissett sit in our updated Week 17 rankings.

The Patriots have downgraded TE Hunter Henry (knee) from questionable to out for Sunday's game against the Broncos. His absence would seem to be good news for Mike Gesicki, and it might mean a boost in playing time. But Henry and Gesicki don't play exactly the same position. Gesicki has run 71.7% of his pass snaps from the slot so far, according to Pro Football Focus, plus another 19% out wide. Henry has spent 48.1% in the slot; 43.5% inline. TE Pharoah Brown might be the more direct playing-time beneficiary of Henry's absence. Henry'scoming off season highs in targets, catches, and yards, which probably inflates the perception of what he's leaving available. Before last week, Henry was averaging just 4.0 targets and 2.7 receptions per game. Neither Gesicki nor Brown looks all that attractive for fantasy use.

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 RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) remained sidelined all week and is out for Sunday night’s game vs. the Broncos. That means another start for RB Ezekiel Elliott. We’ve seen his ceiling and floor the past two games: 140 total yards and a score in Week 14; 46 scoreless yards in Week 15.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game vs. the Broncos. He only got in a limited practice on Friday. We’re not expecting Henry to play, and he’d be a shaky fantasy starter if he does.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. He never returned to last week's game after going down and is certainly in danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. That'd leave New England with TEs Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown. Neither would be a viable fantasy play.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry suffered a left knee injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs and is officially questionable to return. He caught seven of nine targets for 66 yards and a score before exiting. We'll update Henry's status when we know more.

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.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. He remained sidelined in practice all week and doesn’t look particularly close to a return. Ezekiel Elliott will get another game as feature back this weekend after racking up 22 carries and eight targets on a 91% snap rate last week.

Patriots WR Demario Douglas (concussion) got in a limited practice on Wednesday -- his first since being concussed in Week 12. We'll see if the rookie can get cleared for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs. If he does, he'll be in the WR4 mix as the favorite to lead New England in targets.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. Reportedly dealing with a high-ankle sprain, he's unlikely to play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. That'd again leave RB Ezekiel Elliott in a true workhorse role. Zeke racked up 22 carries and eight targets on a 91% snap rate last week.

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) remained sidelined for Tuesday's practice. He has virtually no chance to be cleared in time for Thursday night's game vs. the Steelers. Douglas' absence will again leave DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton as New England's top three WRs.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. A source tells Schefter that Stevenson is expected to miss "a few weeks." High-ankle sprains generally cost RBs 4+ games, so don't be surprised if Stevenson misses the rest of the season. He's droppable in most fantasy leagues without an IR spot. Stevenson's absence will leave Ezekiel Elliott as New England's clear lead back -- in a true test of whether pure volume can support a fantasy RB. New England has RBs Jamycal Hasty and Ty Montgomery behind Elliott on the active roster, with RB Kevin Harris on the practice squad.