New England Patriots: Offseason fantasy outlook
The NFL offseason is basically over at this point and rosters are close to being set. It’s time to see how the offseason changed teams for fantasy football, starting in the AFC East with the New England Patriots.
Fear not, fantasy football fans! We’re here to get you through the next couple of months before training camps kick off and draft season really kicks into high gear. In this series of articles, we’ll be breaking down how each team changed in the offseason and how it effects their fantasy outlook for 2018. Maybe a team brought in big ticket free agents, maybe they got that prized rookie in the draft. Many teams changed coaches and coordinators. We’re here to cover it all and get you ready to win a fantasy championship this year!
Coaching Changes – Former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia out, Brian Flores promoted from linebackers coach
The coaching changes in New England won’t have much of an effect in fantasy for 2018. The defense for the Patriots wasn’t very good in 2017 and it’s hard to believe they will be in 2018. The only thing the Pats defense was good at was limiting points. They were a bend but don’t break defense and they got lucky to rank fifth in the league in points given up per game.
Impact Departures – Wide Receivers Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola, running back Dion Lewis, offensive lineman Nate Solder and Cameron Fleming, cornerback Malcolm Butler
Impact Arrivals – Running back Jeremy Hill, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, cornerback Jason McCourty, wide receiver Jordan Matthews
Impact Draft Picks – Offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, running back Sony Michel
My word, the Patriots had a revolving door this past offseason. There’s a lot of new faces to integrate on both sides of the ball but Bill Belichick is the best in the league for a reason. It was a bit curious that New England didn’t bring in much help in the receiving corps.
Quarterback Tom Brady isn’t getting any younger and they traded away arguably his best receiver in Cooks and one of Brady’s favorites in Amendola. Losing Nate Solder is no small deal either. Was he worth the contract the Giants gave him? Probably not but it’s still a loss for the Pats. Let’s get into the positional breakdown so you know what to expect this season.