New England Patriots Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

QB Jacoby Brissett is reportedly expected to sign a deal with the Commanders. The terms of the deal are unknown as of this writing. The journeyman signal-caller adds some veteran competition into the mix to battle with incumbent QB Sam Howell. Newly-minted OC Eric Bienemy will have an effective bridge option in place should Howell not win the starting QB job outright in training camp. Brissett spent last season as the Browns' starter in the absence of suspended QB Deshaun Watson, tallying 2,608 passing yards with 12 TDs and six interceptions. Though he doesn't offer a ton of fantasy appeal, Brissett exceeded 15 fantasy points in five of his 11 starts in four-point per passing TD scoring last season. We'll have to keep an eye on how this potential training camp battle shakes out over the summer to get a good idea of how much Brissett will matter for fantasy purposes. He maintains modest superflex league appeal in dynasty leagues if nothing else.

UPDATE: Brissett's contract is a one-year deal worth up to $10 million (with $8 million guaranteed).

The Patriots have agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. The former Chief and Steeler is set to earn $22.5 million in guaranteed money over the first two years of the contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Smith-Schuster immediately steps into the mix with an offense that lost WR Jakobi Meyers (a recent signee with the Raiders) and has a lot of work cut out for them. It's tough to say how much fantasy value Smith-Schuster, or any pass-catcher in the Patriots' offense, will have under new OC Bill O'Brien as of now. Even so, there's only room for QB Mac Jones and company to move upward and improve upon their 23rd-ranked aerial attack in Football Outsiders' passing offense DVOA last season. Smith-Schuster logged an impressive 78 receptions and 933 receiving yards as a member of the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs in 2022. The Patriots have a long way to go in righting the ship, but this is a solid step in the right direction.

LSU WR Kayshon Boutte ran a decent 4.5-second 40-yard dash Saturday at the NFL Scouting combine. He didn't have a great day otherwise, though. His 108-inch broach jump rated just 32nd percentile for the position, according to Pro Football Focus' Marcus Mosher. And Boutte's 29-inch vertical rate an even worse second percentile. It was a rough day, but Boutte is still a productive early draft entrant who broke out as a freshman in the SEC. Look for a full breakdown as our Dynasty Fantasy Football Value series gets rolling.

Chiefs WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) are not listed on the final injury report for the Super Bowl. Smith-Schuster was a full participant in practice all week. Toney was a full-go on Thursday and Friday after being limited on Wednesday. It doesn't look like either guy will be limited vs. the Eagles. With WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) out, Smith-Schuster and Toney will join Marquez Valdes-Scantling as Kansas City's top 3 WRs in that one.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He injured that knee in practice leading up to the AFC Championship and played just 45% of the offensive snaps in that game. But it looks like he'll be ready for his usual role in Sunday's Super Bowl vs. the Eagles.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid expressed optimism on Thursday that WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) will be able to practice next week and play in the Super Bowl. "He’s in a good place," Reid said. "The main thing is that we let that [injury] calm down. I’m very optimistic right now… We’ll just see where it goes.” Check back next week for updates on Smith-Schuster's progress.

Chiefs WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman were all knocked out of Sunday's AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. It was a knee for Smith-Schuster, which HC Andy Reid called a "re-aggravation" of an issue he dealt with in practice leading up to this game. (Smith-Schuster was added to the injury report with a knee on Friday.). Toney hurt his ankle in the 1st quarter and didn't return. Hardman seemingly tweaked the pelvis injury that had him sidelined since Week 9. The Chiefs get a much-needed week off before squaring off with the Eagles in the Super Bowl. We'll keep a close eye on these WRs when Kansas City officially gets back to work next week.

Commanders RB Antonio Gibson had surgery on Thursday to repair a fractured foot, HC Ron Rivera said. Gibson was on the injury report with a foot from Week 13 on, although it's unclear exactly when the fracture occurred. Rivera said the "hope" is that Gibson will be ready for the start of offseason workouts. We'll track his rehab.

Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (knee, foot) has been placed on IR, knocking him out for Sunday's finale vs. the Cowboys. Gibson had a few solid fantasy outings this season but was generally disappointing, finishing with 546 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 3.7 yards per carry and a 46-353-2 receiving line. He sits 30th among RBs in PPR points per game. Gibson turns 25 in June and is signed with Washington for 1 more season. He looks like no better than a RB3 in early 2023 fantasy drafts.

Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (knee, foot) didn't participate in practice on Wednesday. Fellow RB Brian Robinson (knee) also sat out. Hopefully, the pair can get back into action soon. Be sure to check back tomorrow regarding their health ahead of Week 18 vs. the Cowboys.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson got just 8 carries in Sunday's win over the Dolphins, trailing RB Damien Harris by 1 in the latter's return from injury. Stevenson managed 42 yards (a solid 5.3 per carry) and caught 2 of 9 targets for 9 yards. That makes 2 straight games of less than 50 total yards but his 1st time all season with a single-digit touch total in a game he didn't leave early. Stevenson will be tougher to like against the Bills in Week 18, for those playing through the end of the regular season. Harris went 9-32 rushing against the Dolphins, with 3 catches for 18 yards among 3 targets.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) is active for today’s game vs. the Dolphins. We’re not worried about the ankle, but RB Damien Harris’ return is at least a slight ding to Stevenson’s fantasy value. RB Kevin Harris is a healthy scratch today.

Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Dolphins. He’s only worth considering in DFS tournaments.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Dolphins. Henry got in 3 limited practices this week after getting knocked out of last week’s loss to the Bengals. It’s unclear if he’s ready to play his usual role today, leaving him in TE2 territory in the Week 17 Rankings.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) is expected to play vs. the Dolphins, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports. Henry was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable. Miami ranks 29th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs, and New England will be without TE Jonnu Smith (concussion). But the knee issue adds enough risk to keep Henry out of TE1 consideration.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) is expected to play vs. the Dolphins, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. Stevenson has been playing through this injury for a few weeks now. The bigger concern for his Week 17 fantasy outlook is the return of RB Damien Harris. See where Stevenson sits in the Week 17 RB Rankings.

Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (foot, knee) has been ruled out for Week 17 vs. the Browns. Rookie RB Brian Robinson is set to step up and assume another big workload. Robinson is averaging 18.3 carries over his last 4 games. Moreover, the Browns rank 26th in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA over the last 5 weeks in addition to being the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs on the season. Fire up Robinson with confidence as a high-end RB2 candidate.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion all week and is officially questionable for Week 17 vs. the Dolphins. Teammate RB Damien Harris (NIR-personal) practiced fully on Friday and carries no injury tag for the contest on Sunday. It's good news that the Patriots will have Harris back in case Stevenson cannot suit up. That said, Stevenson has been playing through this injury since Week 14, and it has yet to cost him time. Stevenson remains a solid fantasy play if he receives the green light to play, although Harris’ return caps the ceiling a bit. Harris is nothing more than a speculative flex consideration in a neutral matchup vs. the Dolphins.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) is listed as questionable for Week 17 vs. the Dolphins after logging limited practice all week. The veteran has been quiet over the last 2 weeks, only tallying 2 receptions on 4 targets. It's probably wise to look for TE help elsewhere for your fantasy lineup. TE Jonnu Smith (concussion) has been ruled out.

Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (knee, ankle) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. That obviously doesn't hurt RB Brian Robinson's Week 17 fantasy profile, but it's worth noting that RB Jonathan Williams stepped into the passing-down role with Gibson banged up late in last week's loss to the 49ers. Robinson still doesn't project for big passing-game usage this weekend -- but he's a strong fantasy play based on his rushing upside against a bad Cleveland run defense.