As practices begin for the New England Patriots on July 24, the team will be without two notable names on offense for the start of training camp — wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and running back Antonio Gibson. Unsurprisingly, Bourne was placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list after suffering a torn ACL last October against the Miami Dolphins, while Gibson will start on the NFI (non-football injury/illness) list. While it is unclear what New England’s backup running back is dealing with at the moment, it is expected that he will come off the NFI list relatively soon. Bourne’s status, however, is still up in the air as September approaches.

In terms of fantasy impact, Bourne’s issue is much more likely to impact his outlook in 2024 than Gibson’s. Although there is a world where Bourne returns to full health and maintains — or even surpasses — his high level of play from 2023, the serious nature of his injury means that question marks still remain. Gibson, on the other hand, has seemingly solidified himself as the backup to Rhamondre Stevenson and figures to feature primarily as a third-down back in the receiving game once he returns to practice. Elsewhere on the Patriots roster, expect to see increased opportunities for wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, DeMario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Javon Baker, while Kevin Harris should see an uptick in running back reps during Gibson’s absence.