Patriots WR Romeo Doubs was quiet early in training camp, but he excelled yesterday catching all 5 targets in a seven-on-seven session. What may be more interesting is Doubs' role in the Josh McDaniels offense. According to Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar, Doubs’ primary role will be from the “inside” instead of the X outside WR he played on the Packers. That big slot role could open up easier targets for Doubs, giving him weekly fantasy upside if he's on the same page as QB Drake Maye.
What They're Saying: Chemistry Is the Challenge
Evan Lazar, Patriots.com: “I think with him specifically, a lot of his routes are going to take a lot of post-snap adjustments. He’s going to play inside a lot. A lot of those are option heavy routes and he’s going to have to see it the same way as Drake Maye. And we have seen other WRs come here and struggle with that sort of thing. It’s not easy.
And it’s different from the system he was in Green Bay, where they only really have one choice route within the pattern. In Green Bay, he’s playing X and that’s not usually the way that they do it in that system at the X spot. So that was where my concerns were, just with chemistry and I thought maybe he was playing a little tentative or slow because he was trying to get the route correct and read the coverage correctly. Today, I thought it was a little better."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Big Slot, Bigger Upside
Doubs signed a four-year, $68 million contract as a free agent to join the Patriots. That isn’t a contract for a part-time player, but one the team sees as a significant contributor.
That money makes more sense if the Patriots believe Doubs can excel in the toughest role in the McDaniels offense: the slot.
Lazar helps explain why Doubs' early camp struggles came. The complex option routes within the slot role force the WR (and Maye) to read the defense after the snap to decide which route to run. Being in sync mentally with the QB becomes key.
Watching most Patriots games last season, this was apparent. Stefon Diggs struggled with the role over his first few weeks before finding his stride midseason and getting in sync with Maye. You could still see certain weeks where tricky defenses made it difficult though.
My film study says DeMario Douglas did not succeed in this role last season. Some of Maye’s worst passes came on slot targets to Douglas, when the two were not in sync on the expected route.
The easiest spot in the Patriots WR room is X WR. I highlighted Kayshon Boutte during the season when he was putting up some big fantasy stats, but running a very limited route tree. The slot gets the complex route tree and can dominate with the right combination of quickness and spacing. Julian Edelman was the master of this role in the McDaniels system back in the Tom Brady era.
The difficulty of the position, along with Douglas’ struggles, may have prompted the Patriots to pay Doubs. If he builds on this weekend’s success, he could become intriguing in a Patriots offense with a stud QB and potentially a faster tempo.
Boutte appears to be on the trade block and could be moved this month. That would shake up the room, but it also keeps Doubs intriguing for now.
We currently have Doubs WR47 in our PPR WR Rankings, right around his ADP. We'll continue to monitor Doubs' potential in the system and whether he holds a higher ceiling than initially thought.
Injury Impact: No Concern After Tweak
Doubs did tweak his ankle on Saturday at training camp, but got it taped up and continued practicing. It's not a concern.
