Julian Edelman Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Patriots WR Danny Amendola (groin) was officially limited in Wednesday's practice.  He reportedly worked through only some of the individual drills and is clearly nowhere near 100%.  He's not going to play against the Bucs on Sunday.  A Week 4 return is the best-case scenario.  Julian Edelman will once again function as New England's top WR this weekend.

Patriots insider Karen Guregian reports that WR Danny Amendola will not undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia.  His timetable for return is now in a "framework of a few weeks," Guregian adds.  That's obviously good news, although the abductor injury still has the potential to linger.  Hopefully New England will hold Amendola out until he's truly back to 100%.  He's well worth hanging on to in all fantasy formats.  Julian Edelman will continue to be a WR3 with WR2 upside in PPR as long as Amendola is sidelined.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reports that has Patriots WR Danny Amendola has an abductor injury.  That's the muscle that connects the hip to the leg.  Glazer adds that Amendola also "might" have a sports hernia.  Doctors are still deciding whether or not he needs surgery, which would reportedly knock him out for 3-4 weeks.  This remains a fluid situation, but fantasy owners need to be preparing to be without Amendola beyond this week.  Julian Edelman will continue to be a viable fantasy starter as long as Amendola is out.

Patriots WR Danny Amendola (groin) is officially inactive for tonight's game against Jets.  We still don't know much about the severity of his injury. Some reports have him likely to be back for Week 3.  Others have him sidelined another 2-6 weeks.  Don't expect to get any information from the team.  Fantasy owners need to just stash Amendola on the bench for now.  Meanwhile, Julian Edelman will serve New England's slot receiver tonight and is a strong WR3 in fantasy.

Patriots WR Danny Amendola (groin) is listed as doubtful for Week 2.  It's confirmation that he's a long shot to play against the Jets on Thursday night.  The opener reminded us of the good (10 catches) and bad (injury-prone) that comes with owning Amendola in fantasy.  He'll have 10 days to get healthy in time for Week 3.  Meanwhile, Julian Edelman will step in as New England's slot receiver on Thursday night.  He's an intriguing WR3 option, especially in PPR leagues.

Pats WR Danny Amendola (groin) wasn’t spotted for the start of the teams’ walk-through on Tuesday.  New England plays Thursday, so Amendola will need to beat the clock.  As beat writer Jeff Howe remarks, it's "hard to imagine him playing in the actual game” if he can’t at least observe practice.  We’ll be sure to update his status leading up to kickoff.

UPDATE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says Amendola is “almost certain” to miss Thursday’s game.  He’d likely be ready for a Sunday or Monday tilt, but it looks like the short week will hurt him.  His absence would force waiver wire darling Julian Edelman into a featured role.  Consider him a worthy plug-'n-play WR3.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman was a significant part of the team's Week 1 passing attack.  His 7 catches and 79 yards were both 2nd on the team behind Danny Amendola.  Edelman's 9 targets ranked 4th.  And he hauled in both of Tom Brady's TDs.  His role increased when Amendola left with groin problems, but Edelman was seeing plenty of playing time before Amendola left and when he returned.  Edelman was on the field for 83 of New England's 94 offensive snaps.  For more on his fantasy outlook going forward, check out our Week 1 Free Agent Focus.

Patriots WR Aaron Dobson (hamstring) is out for today's game against the Bills.  He was able to put in limited practices this week, so he has a good chance to be ready for Week 2.  His absence today will mean more action for WRs Julian Edelman and Josh Boyce.  But starters Danny Amendola and Kenbrell Thompkins are the only recommended fantasy starters.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman has been cleared to practice.  He'd been sidelined since the spring after suffering a setback with the foot he broke last December.  Edelman has been with the Pats for 4 seasons now, so it shouldn't take him too long to get settled in.  He'll battle for snaps and targets behind Danny Amendola with a handful of other WRs.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman has been placed on the PUP list to start training camp.  He broke his foot last December and suffered a setback at some point this offseason.  He was out of his walking boot in June, though, so he should be ready to get back on the practice field soon.  If healthy, Edelman has a chance to capture a significant role this season.  He's a sleeper in PPR drafts.

Patriots insider Mike Reiss predicts that Julian Edelman will open the season as the team's #2 WR.  Reiss points to Edelman's "athleticism and speed," plus his "trust built up with Tom Brady and a knowledge of the offense," as reasons Edelman will win the #2 job.  We could see it happening since his competition for the spot is underwhelming (veterans Michael Jenkins and Donald Jones and rookies Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce).  The issue for Edelman is that he's a natural slot receiver.  Same goes for #1 WR Danny Amendola.  If those are the team's top 2 WRs, 1 of them will need to play the majority of his snaps on the outside.  We'll be keeping a close eye on New England's WR situation this summer.  But Edelman is certainly worth highlighting as a sleeper on your cheat sheet.

We just updated our projections for the Aaron Hernandez-less Patriots.  New England suddenly has one of the weakest pass-catching corps in the league.  4 of last year’s top 5 pass-catchers are now gone (Welker, Lloyd, Hernandez and Woodhead).  The other, Rob Gronkowski, is questionable for the start of the season.  Tom Brady is facing a tall task.  We moved him down our QB rankings.  Meanwhile, WRs Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman both moved up.  Amendola should be a target monster in his debut season with the Pats.  And reports out of minicamp had him clicking with Brady.  We’re interested to see what kind of role Edelman plays in 2013.  It looked like he was taking over for Welker as the primary slot receiver early last season.  But the biggest winner from the Hernandez release is TE Jake Ballard.  He’s nowhere near as talented as Hernandez but could post useful fantasy numbers if New England continues to deploy as many 2-TE sets as they have over the past few years.  Draft Sharks Insiders can click here to view our updated Patriots projections.

The Patriots have a log jam in the bottom half of their WR depth chart.  According to insider Jeff Howe, Danny Amendola and rookie Aaron Dobson are the only locks to make the opening-day roster.  That leaves Julian Edelman, Donald Jones, Michael Jenkins, rookie Josh Boyce and recently-signed LaVelle Hawkins to battle for 3-4 spots.  Edelman should be safe as long as he can move past that bum foot.  And Boyce would need to flop to end up getting cut.  Our money is on Jones winning the 5th spot.  Of course, none of these guys are great bets for fantasy value with Amendola and TEs Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski likely to dominate targets.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman reportedly suffered a setback with the foot he broke back in December.  According to insider Shalise Manza Young, Edelman is in a walking boot and isn't a lock to be ready for June minicamp.  The 5'10, 200-pounder has always had trouble staying healthy, missing 16 games across 4 seasons as a Patriot.  That, plus the presence of Danny Amendola, leaves Edelman as a long shot for fantasy value in 2013.

USA Today's Mike Garafolo reports that Patriots WR Julian Edelman has signed a new 1-year deal with the team.  Edelman stepped in for Wes Welker in the slot at times last year and looked early on like he could be carving out a bigger offensive role.  Injuries ultimately got in the way there, however.  We'll see how roles sort out after New England added WR Danny Amendola and WR Michael Jenkins this offseason.  Edelman's return gives us another reason, though, to not get too excited about WR Emmanuel Sanders' fantasy prospects should he join the Patriots.  Pittsburgh would present a much clearer path to targets.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman reportedly broke his foot during Sunday's game against the Dolphins.  He'll undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season.  The freshly signed Donte Stallworth will move a notch up the depth chart but won't be a fantasy option.  Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez will continue to dominate targets in New England.

Patriots beat writer Jeff Howe spotted WR Julian Edelman in a walking boot and on crutches after Sunday's win over Miami.  Edelman left the game in the 4th quarter and didn't return.  It looks like he's dealing with a significant injury.  Edelman can be dropped in fantasy this week.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman suffered a foot injury in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game against the Dolphins.  His return is questionable.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman (concussion) is active for today's game against the Dolphins.  He has 4 TDs in his last 2 games but remains a risky WR3 in fantasy.