Patriots WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and Demario Douglas (concussion) are out for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders. WR Tyquan Thornton (shoulder) is listed as questionable. We’ll see if Thornton is ready to make his 2023 debut, but DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne will serve as New England’s top two WRs this weekend.
Patriots RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott each received 8 carries in Week 5’s loss vs. the Saints for a combined 45 rushing yards. The New England pass-catchers didn’t perform much better in the 34-0 blowout either. WR Kendrick Bourne led the team in receiving with 43 yards on 2 catches. No other Pats player exceeded 25 receiving yards. This game is the second straight beating that this team has taken without much fantasy-relevant production. It’ll be curious to see if HC Bill Belichick makes a change at QB in Week 6 vs. the Raiders.
DeVante Parker played 16 more snaps and ran 10 more pass routes than any other Patriots WR in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. It marked the third straight week Parker has led the group in routes. He has run a route on 91% of New England's dropbacks in that span, after missing Week 1. TE Hunter Henry checks in next at 82.9%. WR Kendrick Bourne trails at 60.4%, with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster at 54.1%. That has amounted to only 7 total targets and 4 receptions over the past two weeks. But it leaves room for upside in upcoming matchups. Week 5 brings the Saints, who have played well on defense but been a positive scoring matchup for WRs. Our adjusted fantasy points allowed say the Raiders, Bills, and Dolphins the following three weeks have been negative. We'll see as those matchups draw closer.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry led the team with 4 receptions and 51 receiving yards in Sunday's beatdown at the hands of the Cowboys. He was the only New England player to catch more than two passes in the game. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster matched Henry's 5 targets for the team lead. WR DeVante Parker followed with 4. Five others tallied 3 targets apiece. New England gets another tough matchup with New Orleans in Week 5 but a friendlier spot at Vegas the following week.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne recorded 4 catches on 5 targets for 46 yards in Week 3’s win vs. the Jets. Both WR DeVante Parker and TE Hunter Henry had some involvement but ultimately flopped with just 2 catches apiece. Helping no one in fantasy, TE Pharaoh Brown led the team in receiving with 71 yards on 2 catches. One of those catches from Brown was the only offensive TD scored by New England. This one was just one of those unlucky games in crummy weather where the Pats didn’t need to throw a ton to pull out the W. Fantasy managers should hope for better results from these receivers next week vs. the Cowboys.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker led the team in receiving with 57 yards in Sunday night’s loss vs. the Dolphins. The veteran recorded 6 catches on 8 targets in his season debut after missing Week 1 with a knee injury. Teammate Kendrick Bourne saw a team-high 9 targets and logged 4 catches for 29 yards. TE Hunter Henry is perhaps the most fantasy-relevant story from the game. He turned 7 targets into 6 catches for 52 yards and a TD en route to logging the most PPR points (17.2) of any TE in the Sunday slate. If Henry is still hanging around on the waiver wire, go ahead and scoop him up ahead of Week 3 vs. the Jets.
Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster ran well behind veteran WR Kendrick Bourne and rookie WR Kayshon Boutte in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. Bourne led the WR corps with 73 offensive snaps and 54 routes among 58 Mac Jones dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Boutte ranked second with 55 snaps and 43 routes. Smith-Schuster played just 43 snaps and ran 27 routes, tying rookie WR Demario Douglas in the latter category. ESPN's Mike Reiss says that playing time "reflects him being managed to some degree." Smith-Schuster is dealing with a knee that required a cleanup procedure in the offseason. SI.com's Albert Breer recently said in a radio interview that the knee "is a mess and ... could explode at any point." Smith-Schuster still fared well in target rate. His 7 tied for second on the team, trailing only Bourne. But he turned them into just 33 yards on 4 catches. There's little to like about Smith-Schuster, who is cuttable in some leagues if you're looking for more upside on the waiver wire this week.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne led the team with 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, catching 6 for 64 yards and 2 TDs. It helped that WR DeVante Parker was inactive, and that QB Mac Jones attempted 54 passes in the game. Five other Patriots drew 6 or 7 targets. Rookie Demario Douglas tied for second on the team with 7 targets, catching 4 for 40 yards. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster matched him in targets and receptions while tallying 33 yards. We'll see what target and playing-time distribution look like going forward, especially once Parker returns. Bourne gets an upside matchup with the Dolphins in Week 2 before tougher spots against the Jets and Cowboys the following two weeks. Don't be surprised if Bourne remains outside the top 36 in our WR rankings for Week 2, however. The veteran has had other splash weeks in his two Patriots seasons but hasn't been able to sustain production.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Eagles. That leaves JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and Demario Douglas as New England’s top three WRs. Smith-Schuster is a viable WR3 play. TE Hunter Henry could also see an extra target or two with Parker out.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is not expected to play vs. the Eagles today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Parker was limited in practice all week and listed as questionable, but this one still comes as a surprise His absence would leave JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne as New England's top two WRs, with rookie Demario Douglas the likely No. 3. Smith-Schuster is the only viable Week 1 fantasy play.
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 believes New England’s WRs corps “seems only marginally better than last year’s.” Graff calls DeVante Parker an “x-factor” but admits he’s “not sold yet” on Tyquan Thornton. He also questions the contract given to JuJu Smith-Schuster because of his injury history. Kendrick Bourne, meanwhile, isn’t considered a roster lock. (Yeah, it’s pretty clear why the Pats pursued DeAndre Hopkins.) We’ll monitor this unit come training camp. The chemistry between JuJu and Mac Jones is something to really focus on, as the 26-year-old missed most of the spring with a knee issue.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne caught 6 of 9 targets for 100 yards and a TD in Saturday's loss to the Bengals. He led the team in all 3 categories (tying Jakobi Meyers in receptions) and added a 29-yard carry. Bourne did all that despite trailing Meyers and rookie WR Tyquan Thornton in playing time and routes, according to Pro Football Focus. Meyers posted a 6-83-1 receiving line on 7 targets, though he inflated that with a 48-yard TD on a ball that was intended for WR Scotty Washington but bounced to Meyers off Washington's hands. Meyers did lead the team in pass routes, though, which makes him easier to like for a Week 17 clash with the Dolphins. Thornton finished with just 1 catch for 8 yards among 3 targets. QB Mac Jones threw for 240 yards and 2 TDs in the game.
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Raiders. He went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday to another limited practice on Friday. That’s a strange progression for a guy in the concussion protocol. Patriots-Raiders doesn’t kick off until 4:05 pm ET on Sunday, but we should get an update on Meyers by that morning. Patriots WR DeVante Parker (concussion) has been ruled out, leaving Nelson Agholor, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne as New England’s top 3 healthy WRs.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Colts. That leaves Jakobi Meyers, Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor as New England’s top 4 WRs. Meyers is the only bankable Week 9 fantasy play.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) is inactive for tonight's game with the Bears. This doesn't have much fantasy impact but does, at least, leave a few WR snaps on the field for others.
Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (hamstring) is active for tonight's game against the Bears. WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) is inactive. We're expecting Agholor to serve as the #4 WR behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton.
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