Four Patriots You Should Avoid Drafting In Fantasy Football Leagues
The number of Patriots selected likely will be few and far between
One of the biggest offseason criticisms of the New England Patriots was they lacked talent at the skill positions.
It's why a number of NFL analysts believed New England should have added wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins before he joined the Tennessee Titans. So while the Patriots signed running back Ezekiel Elliott, who will serve as a complement to Rhamondre Stevenson, their offense seemingly will rely on depth as opposed to high-end talent.
That's not a good recipe in fantasy football. And it's why the Patriots are not expected to have a ton representation in fantasy leagues.
With that said, here are four New England players you'd be wise to avoid when drafting:
Mac Jones, QB
Jones should improve after his disappointing sophomore season. Offensive play-caller Bill O'Brien likely will play a key role in that. However, that's not to say Jones all of a sudden will become relevant in fantasy football. He doesn't possess the dual-threat ability the most sought after fantasy quarterbacks do. And pales in comparison to high-end talent other top fantasy signal-callers have. Yahoo Sports has Jones listed as QB30 in its preseason rankings. It indicates, barring anything unforeseen, the third-year quarterback will be left off rosters in leagues as deep as 12 or 14 teams.
Mike Gesicki, TE
New England is expected to utilize more multi-tight end sets this season. That also is because of O'Brien. But given the tight end position in fantasy is so heavily reliant on scoring touchdowns, Gesicki's expected snap counts still don't make him an overly attractive option. It's largely due to New England's other tight end: Hunter Henry. Gesicki and Henry are going to split targets everywhere, but especially in the red zone. And Henry's established connection with Jones makes him a more favorable option to fantasy managers. Henry caught nine touchdowns during his debut season with Jones. Henry is listed as TE20 while Gesicki is TE26 at Yahoo.
DeVante Parker, WR
Disclaimer: JuJu Smith-Schuster figures to be the top Patriots wideout selected in fantasy drafts. Perhaps Smith-Schuster will be the only one selected. Parker ranks WR80 on Yahoo, which is second best among the group behind the aforementioned Smith-Schuster (WR43). Parker brings a different skillset to New England's offense, but given the Patriots' 1-2 punch at running back and a good-not-great group of pass-catchers, Parker's limited number of targets figures to hold him back from being an impactful contributor.
Tyquan Thornton, WR
Thornton was limited to 13 games his rookie year due to injury, and he's now dealing with a shoulder ailment that's caused him to be considered "week to week." It has caused Thornton to miss valuable practice reps. So while Thornton has the speed to make him a big-play threat for the Patriots, the snaps and targets he'll receive are no certainty. New England also has showed an intrigue in fellow young wideouts Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte with Kendrick Bourne also in the mix. Thornton is ranked Yahoo's WR95.
As it stands, the Patriots figure to have a fair representation on the waiver wire when the season begins. Maybe the O'Brien-Jones tandem will cause that to change before season's end.
