New England Patriots Roster

New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham and a group of six teammates recently gathered at a private football field to work out together. Stidham has been the catalyst for the throwing sessions, according to sources. Veteran QB Brian Hoyer has been at the throwing sessions, as have been wide receivers Julian Edelman, Damiere Byrd and Gunner Olszewski. Stidham, a fourth-round pick last year, looks to be the team's starting solution in the post-Tom Brady era entering the 2020 season. Head coach Bill Belichick seems totally comfortable rolling with the unknown 23-year-old, and we wouldn't bet against Belichick. So if Stidham is indeed the starter under center in Week 1, he'll be a midrange QB2 for fantasy owners.

yesterday

New England Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson posted excellent coverage numbers in 2019 despite starting only six games. His overall numbers were slightly better than teammate Stephon Gilmore, but Gilmore had almost twice as many targets (96 versus Jackson's 58). Jackson allowed the lowest passer rating (21.8) as the nearest defender in coverage among all defenders who qualified and the second-lowest completion percentage allowed. He allowed a passer rating of just 8.1 in press coverage and recorded all five of his interceptions while in press. And finally, Jackson had a perfect passer rating of 0.0 as the nearest defender on deep targets. He should see a much bigger role in 2020 for a Patriots Defense/special teams that is a top-10 fantasy unit.

yesterday

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore earned the top spot as the best defensive back in coverage in 2019, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. He was the only player who faced 85 or more targets and didn't allow a single touchdown, and he also picked off six passes. Gilmore allowed the lowest passer rating (38) as the nearest defender in coverage among cornerbacks. His catch rate allowed below expectation (minus-11.8) was also the lowest among cornerbacks with a minimum of 300 coverage snaps. But like most elite corners, Gilmore lacks fantasy appeal because opposing quarterbacks often shy away from his side of the field. New England's strength will be on D again in 2020, though, and their defense/special teams unit is a top-10 fantasy option.

yesterday

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower isn't your typical pass-rushing linebacker, but he had a 15 percent disruption rate in 2019 despite rushing the passer only 253 times last year. He finished with 71 combined tackles, 33 stops -- tackles that result in a successful play for the defense based on yards to go by down -- and five hustle stops -- stops where a player covers 20-plus yards of in-play distance from snap to tackle. The two-time Pro Bowler is an impressive talent and an underrated defensive player, but Hightower's numbers don't jump off the page and therefore he isn't much of an IDP star. The 30-year-old had 5.5 sacks in 2019 and has just one career interception in his eight seasons.

2 days ago

New England Patriots wide receiver N'Keal Harry lost half of his rookie season in 2019 after suffering injuries last preseason. The first-round pick couldn't get on the same page with Tom Brady upon his return midseason. Harry had trouble separating from defenders and caught just 12 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven games. He was last among New England's wideouts with an average of 2.2 separation yards, according to Next Gen Stats. As a result, Harry is working with The Footwork King, Rischad Whitfield, in an intense offseason program. There's a focus on Harry playing higher and gaining more functional strength at the line of scrimmage. If the 22-year-old can become quicker with his feet with his excellent catch radius and size in the red zone, Harry could deliver on his first-round pedigree. He'll need to develop chemistry with Jarrett Stidham, but Harry should be in three-wide sets from the get-go in 2020.

9 days ago