Fantasy News

James Develin catches all four targets in Pats’ win.

Develin gained 22 yards on his four reception, working as a reliable underneath target for Tom Brady. Develin also lined up as the lone running back next to Brady a couple of times because of his reliability in pass protection. Develin is a solid real-life contributor but is obviously a major risk in fantasy lineups.

9/10/18 - 09:54 AM ET

Phillip Dorsett scores in Week 1 victory.

Dorsett carried his solid preseason over into a very good Week 1 performance for the Patriots, as he caught all seven targets for 66 yards and a touchdown against the Texans. Dorsett caught a couple of deep out routes while showing good feet near the sideline, and he also showed some nifty moves on a quick smoke route that got the ball in his hands. The touchdown was a four-yarder on an out-breaking route in the end zone. Overall, Dorsett did an excellent job as a top-two receiver for Tom Brady, and he has the look of someone that should be picked up in fantasy leagues if he wasn’t already. That said, he has an extremely difficult matchup with Jacksonville in Week 2.

9/10/18 - 09:52 AM ET

Rob Gronkowski scores in Patriots’ win.

Gronkowski opened the scoring for New England in 2018, catching a 21-yard touchdown on a perfect back-shoulder throw to the pylon into double coverage. Gronkowski later added a 30-yard reception down the seam, and overall he had seven receptions (on eight targets) for 123 yards and a touchdown; he also lost a fumble on his deep reception. Next week against the Jaguars is a difficult matchup, but Gronkowski will remain an elite TE1.

9/10/18 - 09:49 AM ET

Cordarrelle Patterson gets four offensive touches in Week 1.

The Patriots got the ball into their great playmaker’s hands a few times, as he carried three times for 13 rushing yards and added a six-yard reception. Patterson could get the ball a couple of times per week on jet sweeps, and he only needs one touch to take it the distance for six. However, it’s difficult to trust him in fantasy lineups.

9/10/18 - 09:47 AM ET

James White scores in Patriots’ win.

White carried five times for 18 rushing yards and caught four passes for 38 receiving yards and one reaching touchdown against the Texans. White’s nine targets were the most for New England in the Week 1 victory, and he figures to remain a big part of the Patriots offense while Julian Edelman is suspended. White is in the FLEX conversation for Week 2 against the Jags.

9/10/18 - 09:44 AM ET

Mike Gesicki records first reception in NFL debut.

It went for 11 yards. Gesicki also got a chance on a fade in the end zone, but it was an underthrown ball from Ryan Tannehill that was intercepted. The rookie will look to breakout out in Week 2 against the Jets, and his touchdown upside makes him a streaming candidate.

9/10/18 - 09:42 AM ET

Rex Burkhead gets 19 touches against the Texans.

Burkhead drew the start for New England and had 18 carries for 64 rushing yards along with one reception (three targets) for six receiving yards in the Week 1 win. He did also fumble, but it was recovered by the Patriots. Unfortunately, Jeremy Hill suffered what appears to be a very serious knee injury, so Burkhead is going to get most of the carries for New England until Sony Michel (knee) gets in the lineup. Burkhead always has multi-touchdown upside for the Patriots, but he’s probably more of a FLEX option in what could be a pass-heavy approach in Week 2 against Jacksonville.

9/10/18 - 09:42 AM ET