In the 22nd of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the New England Patriots.
Key Off-Season Acquisitions
The most significant free agent signing for the Patriots was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster of Long Beach, California, who signed a three-year deal worth $33 million. The Patriots are the third team he has played for following five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and one season with the Kansas City Chiefs where he was a Super Bowl champion. This past season Smith-Schuster had 78 catches for 933 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.
Among the other free agents the Patriots came to terms with were tackle Calvin Anderson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (two years, $7 million), tackle Riley Reiff of Parkston, South Dakota (one year, $5 million), linebacker Chris Board of Orlando, Florida (two years, $5 million), tight end Mike Gesicki of Lakewood, New Jersey (one year, $4.5 million), and running back Ezekiel Elliott of St. Louis, Missouri (one year, $3 million).
Anderson played the last three seasons with the Denver Broncos and had a solo tackle last season. Reiff is joining his fifth NFL team after five seasons with Detroit (2012 to 2016), four seasons with Minnesota (2017 to 2020), one season in Cincinnati (2021), and one season in Chicago (2022).
Board is joining his third NFL team after four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2018 to 2021) and one season with the Detroit Lions (2022). In 2022, he had 21 combined tackles (17 solo tackles and four assisted tackles), one quarterback hit, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. The forced fumble came in a 15-9 Lions win over the Green Bay Packers on November 6 and the pass deflection came in a 34-23 Lions win over the Minnesota Vikings on December 11.
Gesicki is joining his second National Football League team after five seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Last season he had 32 catches for 362 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. Elliott is joining his second NFL team after seven seasons with Dallas. In 2022, Elliott had 231 rushes for 876 rushing yards and 12 touchdown rushes. He also had 17 catches for 92 receiving yards.
Fantasy Stars
Kicker Nick Folk of Los Angeles, California is 10th in fantasy football among kickers. Last season he made 32 of 37 field goals and 32 of 35 converts.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have the best defense in fantasy football. They created 254 fantasy points last season. The best Patriots defensive player was Ja’Whaun Bentley of Glenarden, Maryland, who led the team with 125 combined tackles.
Projected Finish
The Patriots have a solid defense, but clearly have the worst offense in the AFC East. That is why they will be last in the division.
