A.J. Brown traveled to Germany and logged a limited practice, giving the star receiver a legitimate chance to suit up in Week 10. Prior to his multi-game absence, Brown posted a 29.5-percent target share and a 2.14 yards-per-route run. This usage and efficiency suggest he will step right back into New England’s alpha WR role.
If active, deploy Brown as a high-upside WR2 with strong touchdown equity against a vulnerable Detroit secondary in Week 10. Demario Douglas, Efton Chism III and Mack Hollins project to see a lower target share with Brown on the field.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was the star of...
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye came into Week ...
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and his new No....
Drake Maye struggled in his first 3 games of the season averaging just 9 fantasy points per game with .30 fantasy points per dropback. He posted a -0.15 epa per play with 3.3 adjusted yards per attempt and a 58 passer rating while only throwing 195 yards per game.
Maye’s last four games have been a different story. He’s averaging 29 fantasy points per game and .75 fantasy points per dropback while posting a 0.42 EPA per play, 9.6 adjusted yards per attempt, and a 119 passer rating. He’s averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game during this stretch which provides a significant boost to the fantasy outlook of all New England pass catchers.
Wide Receiver Romeo Doubs, a new piece to an already injury-riddled New England receiver room, will miss the next four games, followed by the team’s bye in Week 11. He suffered the injury on his only reception of the game, a 42-yard bomb from Drake Maye.
Luckily for New England, Wide Receiver AJ Brown just returned from the IR himself. A pair that will benefit from Doubs’ abscense is Wide Receiver Demario Douglas and Tight End Hunter Henry. Patriots fans shouldn’t feel too worried however, as the pair combined for 11 receptions, 134 yards, and 2 touchdowns in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets. A source told ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler that Doubs is hopeful to return in Week 12 against the Chargers, after the bye.
The return of star receiver A.J. Brown appears to be taking shape. While the team cannot open his 21-day practice window until next week, it’s an encouraging sign that Brown has avoided setbacks and remains on track with his original 6-to-8-week recovery timeline. Brown will be eligible for activation for the the Patriots Week 6 matchup with the Jets, followed by a short turnaround against the Bears in Week 7.
Brown’s return would provide a significant boost to Drake Maye and the Patriots passing offense that showed signs of life last week despite losing Mack Hollins to an apparent calf injury. It would also dampen the fantasy outlook of Romeo Doubs, who will continue soaking up targets in Brown’s absence. High ankle sprains typically require some time to ramp up production-wise, so fantasy managers should temper expectations in Brown’s first few games back.
After a sophomore season as the MVP runner-up posting 4,394 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns and 113.5 passer rating, Drake Maye has face-planted with 585 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown and 6 interceptions this season. He was benched at the end of last week’s blowout game in Jacksonville, where the Patriots lost 35-6, for Tommy Devito.
According to Mike Vrabel, Maye just needs to “relax,” but after posting a negative EPA per dropback in 6 straight games dating back to last postseason, Graff sees an eerie similarity to Mac Jones. Maye must string together multiple positive performances to regain his confidence, especially after his embarrassing errors have contributed greatly to New England’s 1-2 season start.
This is a welcome sign for the Patriots offense, as starting RB Rhamondre Stevenson was quite underwhelming against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. Stevenson only managed 51 yards on 18 carries, averaging only 2.8 yards per carry, and he wasn’t much better through the air, with 5 receptions on 6 targets for 44 yards. In addition, the Patriots offense completely derailed after alpha WR A.J. Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain in the 3rd quarter; he’s expected to miss at least 6 weeks.
This is also a sigh of relief for TreVeyon Henderson fantasy football managers, as many have been hoping for a 2nd year breakout from the explosive 23 year old Henderson, with his 104.9 (80th percentile) Speed Score, 129.5 (91st percentile) Burst Score, and 4.43 (92nd percentile) 40-Yard Dash Score, and are looking forward to starting PlayerProfiler’s RB26 in seasonal-redraft leagues. Although Henderson hasn’t practiced since August 24, he finally seems to be on the right track, and the Patriots are certainly in dire need of an offensive spark, and the versatile, pass-catching play-making Henderson could be just that, and just in time. ~Jason Diaz
