Power Ranking Best Patriots Pass-Catchers To Draft In Fantasy

The Patriots offense was a disaster last season, but New England hopes Bill O’Brien can help get Mac Jones on track, which could present opportunity for fantasy football managers.

Let’s clarify that the Patriots offense isn’t at the top of the list to target, and average draft position supports that argument. According to Fantasy Pros, Rhamondre Stevenson is the top Patriots player in ADP at 25th overall in Yahoo leagues. There’s a steep gap from Stevenson to the next New England player, which we’ll get to.

The point isn’t to say the Patriots will be an elite offense, but Jones’ rookie season produced two top-35 wide receivers in fantasy — Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers — and Hunter Henry was a top-10 tight end.

You can’t lose your league in the mid-to-late rounds, but if you get them right, you’ll be paid off in a huge way. And the Patriots pass-catching group could produce a solid weekly contributor.

Let’s get into the power rankings of New England’s pass-catchers. We’ll also group these players into tiers to better understand which players are more of a priority than others.

Tier 1
1. JuJu Smith-Schuster
Jakobi Meyers and Smith-Schuster finished 28th and 29th in scoring in Yahoo leagues last season, and it’s expected the former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver will play a similar role in the slot Meyers did but with more snaps on the outside. Reports from training camp and joint practices indicated Smith-Schuster and Jones developed a solid rapport. He’s being drafted as the WR53 in Yahoo leagues at 165th overall, which is too low compared to others in his position, especially for a player who has a clearly defined role in the Patriots offense.

2. Hunter Henry
The Patriots signed Mike Gesicki in the offseason, and all signs indicate O’Brien will utilize a fair amount of two-tight end sets. The market has slightly caught up to the fact Jones loves targeting Henry during practice. Henry is being drafted as the TE21 in Yahoo leagues, and Gesicki is drafted as the TE28. Other leagues might have that flipped, but it’s still too low for a position that often is more random than people seem to realize. The gap in points per game between the TE5 last season to the TE10 was 1.6. Simply put, if you miss out on Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson, you’re better off drafting a late-round tight end rather than waste a middle-round pick on one, and Henry fits the bill as a player that should see sizable volume.

3. Devante Parker
Smith-Schuster is the flashy addition the Patriots made, but Parker showed at joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday he is a consistent weapon for Jones. Parker dealt with injuries last season and took time to build a connection with Jones, but Year 2 in the system should make Parker a solid fantasy option. He tends to go undrafted in Yahoo leagues, which feels like an oversight since Parker has shown he still has plenty left in the tank.

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Tier 2
4. Mike Gesicki
5. Kendrick Bourne
6. Tyquan Thornton
We’re going to lump this trio together for multiple reasons. First, the Patriots likely want to be a run-heavy offense, which is why they want to keep Stevenson fresh, and Ezekiel Elliott should help with that. Gesicki is dealing with an injury in mid-August, but if New England does run more 12-personnel looks, he should get a decent amount of volume. Again, Henry gets the edge because of his rapport with Jones, but Gesicki is a reasonable late-round target.

As for Bourne and Thornton, there are only so many looks that can go their way. Bourne is in much better shape this season, but it’s still unknown how the coaching staff views him. There are too many question marks around his role to be confident in drafting him. Thornton has struggled this offseason with health and finding a role. His speed should add a different dimension to the offense, but that has yet to bear itself out.

Tier 3
7. Demario Douglas
8. Kayshon Boutte
This is as low in the depth chart as we’re going to go. If Henry or Gesicki misses multiple weeks, you should not be dumpster diving at the rest of the Patriots tight end pool. Douglas and Boutte deserve a mention as rookies who’ve flashed their talent this offseason, especially Douglas, who has gained a ton of hype since training camp.

If you want to spend your last draft pick on one of these guys and drop them later when they don’t do anything at the start of the season, by all means. But the most realistic thing you’re hoping for is injuries. Douglas might be used as a gadget player, but that serves as more real-life value than fantasy value.

Honorable mention
Malik Cunningham deserves a shout since he’s practiced as a quarterback and wide receiver. Unfortunately, even if Cunningham is the Taysom Hill of New England’s offense, Yahoo lists the undrafted rookie free agent as a quarterback, unlike Hill who is listed as a tight end. Maybe if you’re in a two-quarterback league, you’re taking a flier on Cunningham, but he’s a stay-away unless Jones or Bailey Zappe get injured.