NFL Fantasy Preview: New England Patriots

In a 32-part series leading up to the start of the 2021 National Football League season, we will take a look at each NFL franchise from a fantasy perspective. The 22nd team we will review is the New England Patriots.

You could make the serious argument that the 2020 regular season for the New England Patriots did not go according to plan. Yes, we all know the team might have taken a minor drop in overall production with Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it is fair to say, more was expected with Cam Newton at the helm.

Newton was OK with the Patriots, but seemed insecure of himself in key situations, and as a result, New England missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The bottom line is the fact that Newton only looked like a fraction of the self who starred with the Carolina Panthers to begin his career. In 15 starts, Newton completed 242 passes in 3568 attempts, with only eight touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He also had six fumbles while rushing the football.

The 22nd quarterback ranking in fantasy could be considered as generous based on Newton’s struggles in throwing the football in 2020. The reason why he is ranked 22nd is because of Newton’s ability to run with the football. This past year, he had 137 rushes for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns. Newton’s 12 rushing touchdowns were the second most in his career.

When it comes to defense, the Patriots are ranked 10th. Even though New England was a -27 when it came to a for and against ratio, the Patriots also gave up the fourth fewest points in the AFC, and 22 fewer points than the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills. The Patriots top defender last season was defensive back Adrian Phillips of Garland, Texas, who had a team-high 109 combined tackles.

At tight end, expect Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to return to a two-tight end attack on the field at the same time, something he has been successful with throughout his coaching career. In the offseason, the Patriots signed tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million, after playing the last five seasons with the Chargers. In 2020, Henry had 60 catches for 613 yards and four touchdowns. They also signed Jonnu Smith to a four-year deal worth $50 million. Last season, Smith had 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns. Henry is ranked 12th among tight ends and Smith is ranked 20th.

The Patriots also opened their wallet to try and improve at the wide receiver position. Nelson Agholor comes to the Pats on a two-year deal worth $26 million after one year in Vegas and five years prior to that with Philadelphia, where he was part of the Eagles team that beat the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. In 2020, Agholor had 48 catches for 896 yards and eight touchdowns with the Raiders.

At running back, Damien Harris will get more carries now that they traded Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams, but remember that James White will still get his fair share of third down looks in the passing game. This puts Harris still more in the RB2 conversation rather than the RB1 talk. Last season, Harris had 137 rushes for 691 yards, but only two touchdowns. White had 49 catches for 375 yards, along with 35 rushes for 121 yards, while finding the end zone on three occasions.

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