Julian Edelman’s 2017 season is officially over after suffering a season-ending knee injury (torn ACL) and many are wondering who is going to replace Edelman’s production in New England’s high-powered offense. Who does the Edelman injury impact most? After week 3 of the NFL Preseason, many are assuming Chris Hogan will be the guy to take the biggest leap up draft boards and biggest bump to his fantasy production, but no so fast!
Chris Hogan will definitely see an increase in snaps for the Patriots in 2017, and after his stellar production throughout the 2016 NFL Playoffs, it appears Hogan hasn’t skipped a beat after his performance in the Patriot’s Week 3 matchup against the Detroit Lions (the show game). What a lot of people fail to understand is that Hogan is a prototypical outside Wide Receiver so he will not be “replacing” Julian Edelman in the slot-wide-receiver role So what’s our current fantasy outlook for the Patriots Wide Receivers? Here you go…
Chris Hogan
FSS Standard ADP: Round 8
FSS PPR ADP: Round 9
FSS Fantasy Rank:
Standard: WR2 with WR1 upside
PPR: WR3 with WR1 upside
FSS Projection: Hogan is your perfect example of a boom-or-bust Wide Receiver. He will be frustrating to own at times throughout 2017 but definitely has the potential to “win you some weeks.” Hogan will finish 2017 as a top-30 Wide Receiver in standard and a somewhere between WR27-37 in PPR.
Brandin Cooks
FSS Standard ADP: Round 5
FSS PPR ADP: Round 5
FSS Fantasy Rank:
Standard: WR2 with WR1 upside
PPR: WR2 with WR1 upside
FSS Projection: Like Hogan, Cooks is also an outside Wide Receiver. Cooks’ role within the offense is already established as the primary outside Wide Receiver. We don’t see much of an uptick in production with the Edelman injury news. Cooks will have value but don’t reach for him. Round 5 is an ideal ADP for the speedy outside threat.
Danny Amendola
FSS Standard ADP: Round 13
FSS PPR ADP: Round 13
FSS Fantasy Rank:
Standard: WR4/5
PPR: WR3
FSS Projection: Amendola figures to be the obvious choice to replace Edelman in the slot, and he will most likely get the first crack at it. Amendola has had great success throughout his career when featured in the slot. He definitely jumps up into fantasy-relevant territory, but given his age and durability issues, he’s a guy to simply add to your watch list and take a wait-and-see approach.
Malcolm Mitchell
Standard ADP: Round 13
PPR ADP: Round 13
FSS Fantasy Rank:
Standard: WR3 with high WR2 upside
PPR: WR3 with high WR2 upside
FSS Projection: Malcolm Mitchell IS THE GUY you want to target late in drafts, or if you’ve already drafted, this is a guy you’re going to want to pick up off the scrap heap and store on your bench. Mitchell has the highest upside of all the current Patriots Wide Receivers. After a solid rookie campaign in 2016, Mitchell figures to be the guy to get more playing time with Edelman on IR. Mitchell is a red-zone threat and one of the most polished route runners on the team (even at his young age). THIS IS THE GUY you’re going to want to own post-Edelman news. Mitchell will undoubtedly be a great value and is being way overlooked in 2017!