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New England Patriots Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Fantasy Football News 2023

Most Recent Fantasy Football News & Updates

Patriots “TE“ Mike Gesicki went down with an unspecified injury in one-on-one drills Monday, according to Zack Cox of NESN. Gesicki reportedly needed help off the field and did not return. We’ll watch for more specifics.

It's been a "tough first two weeks of camp" for Patriots TE Mike Gesicki, The Athletic's Chad Graff writes. "He has not been frequently targeted in drills and has made little impact when targeted," Graff adds. He concludes point blankly that, "Hunter Henry is TE1 over Mike Gesicki." That's especially noteworthy considering Gesicki still sits ahead of Henry in most ADP data. That's not the case in our 2023 TE Rankings.

The Cowboys remain “in the mix” to re-sign RB Ezekiel Elliott, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. New England, meanwhile, remains “highly interested” in the 28-year-old. Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt all remain free agents as of Monday afternoon.

Patriots insider Alex Barth believes, based on Sunday's practice, that Tyquan Thornton might be in a battle for the fourth WR spot with rookie Demario Douglas. Barth notes that WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Douglas worked with QB Mac Jones in positional drills early in the practice. And when the Patriots moved to team drills, Thornton and Douglas split reps evenly with the first-team offense. "This could be a sign of a true position battle, with the two proving to see who is the better option as the fourth wide receiver and main speed threat in the group," Barth writes. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but neither Thornton nor Douglas are recommended fantasy picks right now.

Beat writer Doug Kyed writes that the Pats are “managing” RB Rhamondre Stevenson’s load in training camp. Second-year RB Kevin Harris saw some first-team reps on Monday. Harris is a deep sleeper to monitor, but keep in mind that New England hosted RB Zeke Elliott over the weekend.

Demario Douglas has been the only Patriots rookie WR to get work with the first-team offense in camp so far, according to The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed. “He’s a smart kid,” HC Bill Belichick said Friday. “He picks things up well, learns quickly, so all things that work in his favor, but we’ll see how it goes when things get more competitive next week.” WRs Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne are reportedly off to slow starts in camp, opening up more opportunity for Douglas. The sixth-round rookie is still much more of a dynasty stash than redraft target, but we'll continue to keep an eye on him.

Free agent RB Ezekiel Elliott reportedly visited the Patriots on Saturday, per multiple reports. The team hosted fellow free agent RB Leonard Fournette on July 18, and are rumored to be linked to Dalvin Cook as well. HC Bill Belichick and company seem keen on adding veteran depth to this backfield to accompany incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson. The more this possibility drifts toward reality, Stevenson looks like a potential fantasy loser just one year after recording career bests in touches (279), total touchdowns (six), and scrimmage yards (1,461). Though Elliott has slowed down in recent years, he's posted at least 230 carries in every season of his career dating back to 2016. How good the former All-Pro will be entering his age-28 season is its own matter. Regardless, we'll be sure to monitor this situation should any sort of deal materialize. See where each of these players appear in our current RB rankings.

Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official website writes that TE Hunter Henry has been QB Mac Jones' "favorite target" in camp so far. "The duo has shown great chemistry heading into year three," Lazar adds. MassLive's Mark Daniels agrees, calling Henry the Patriots' best player through one week of camp. Meanwhile, TE Mike Gesicki is off to a slow start, failing to catch a pass in competitive 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills. It's too early to make any sweeping conclusions about this TE corps -- or offense in general. But Henry is certainly out to an early lead on Gesicki.

Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton has not appeared limited in training camp so far, according to insider Alex Barth. Thornton missed time in the spring with a soft-tissue injury, but that looks to be behind him. The 2022 second-round pick has an opportunity to carve out a significant role in a New England passing game that could certainly use his speed.

Patriots HC Bill Belichick said Tuesday that WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is "ready to go" for the start of training camp. JuJu missed most of spring practices dealing with the knee injury he suffered in last year's AFC Championship Game. We'll see if it becomes an issue again at any point ahead of Week 1. Smith-Schuster isn't an exciting fantasy pick but does project as the favorite to lead New England in targets this year.

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 TE Mike Gesicki aims to rebound from a down 2022. A change of scenery helps, as Gesicki ran only 354 routes last season — way down from 2021 (539). His targets per route run also sunk, from 22.7% to 15.5% in Year 1 under HC Mike McDaniel. The Pats took a flier on Gesicki, inking the 27-year-old to a 1-year deal worth $4.5 million. He needs QB Mac Jones to bounce back in Year 3. But barring the addition of WR DeAndre Hopkins, Gesicki should hold a role that makes him a fantasy spot-starter. Ideally, he’s your TE3 in best ball leagues.

The Patriots have agreed to a three-year extension with WR DeVante Parker that could be worth up to $33 million, according to multiple reports. The new pact replaces what would have been the final year on the contract Parker brought with him from Miami. ESPN's Mike Reiss reports that the deal lowers his 2023 base salary but offers per-game roster bonuses that can double that number. The contract also includes incentives, among them achieving All-Pro status. We're not betting on Parker reaching that level and thus aren't counting on him attaining the contract's full value. But he's probably more central to New England's 2023 plans -- at least -- than Parker's end-of-draft ADP to date on FFPC indicates. He's a no-risk stash late in best ball drafts, especially when you've already cheaply added QB Mac Jones. See where Parker sits in our WR rankings.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster missed all of spring practices because of the knee injury he suffered in last year's AFC Championship Game, according to The Athletic's Chad Graff. Smith-Schuster was able to play in the Super Bowl, so it's surprising that this is still an issue four months later. The missed reps aren't ideal as JuJu works to settle into a new offense. We'll see if he's ready to go for the start of training camp next month.

Chad Graff of The Athletic writes that it was a “rough spring” for the Patriots’ O-line. Graff points out struggles at OT while noting that key RG Mike Onwenu missed spring practices (ankle surgery). We're not altering projections for Mac Jones or Rhamondre Stevenson. But we’ll keep a close eye on this unit as the pads come on at training camp.

There's no QB competition in New England, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official website. "Mac Jones works hard, he's bought in, and his confidence is returning," Lazar writes. "Jones' command as a field general at the line of scrimmage is lightyears ahead of where things were last year. ... Jones is also throwing with his vintage touch and accuracy on crossers and fades (outside/slot) to generate big plays." Jones still isn't an exciting fantasy pick. He doesn't offer rushing upside, and New England's pass-catching corps is underwhelming. But being locked in as the starter at least makes Jones a fine QB3 target in superflex and best-ball drafts.

Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte was “outplayed” in OTAs by fellow rookie WR Demario Douglas, per The Athletic’s Chad Graff. No surprise, then, that Graff doesn't expect the LSU product to make New England's 53-man roster. Douglas arrived 23 picks after Boutte, whose struggles we detailed around the NFL draft. We’ll see how the WR competition heats up when players put on pads. Both WRs remain miles from redraft relevance. And per our Dynasty Trade Value Chart, Boutte doesn’t move the needle at all in a perspective deal.

Per ESPN's Mike Reiss, the Patriots are being "cautious" with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Reiss signaled that the move stems from JuJu's knee injury in the AFC Championship game. New England is also looking to get 2nd-year WR Tyquan Thornton back to 100% following a "soft-tissue-related injury." We'll keep an eye on both players as training camp nears. Thornton, given his elite speed profile, remains worthy of a late best ball pick. Just note: DeAndre Hopkins is set to visit the Patriots this week.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson is preparing to take on a big workload this season. “Damien [Harriis] is out of here now, so I’m kind of the guy,” Stevenson said. “Just trying to make sure I’m ready for the end of the season this year... Taking care of my body, just trying to be proactive.” Stevenson averaged 12.4 carries and 4.1 catches per game last year -- and that spiked to 14.9 carries and 4.7 catches in nine healthy games with Harris out or limited. With only Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, James Robinson, and Ty Montgomery behind him on the depth chart, Stevenson could dominate New England's backfield work this season. He sits aggressively high in our RB rankings.

The Patriots are signing TE Anthony Firkser, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Firkser had seasons of 34 and 39 catches with the Titans but spent 2022 hauling in just nine passes for the Falcons. He's a depth-only player for New England and likely not a lock to make the regular-season roster. He doesn't impact the fantasy football TE rankings.

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