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New England Patriots: Offseason fantasy outlook

By Adam Strangis

BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 3: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stays loose on the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 3, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 3: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stays loose on the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 3, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Stephen Gostkowski #3 of the New England Patriots kicks a field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Eagles defeated the Patriots 41-33. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Gostkowski
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Stephen Gostkowski #3 of the New England Patriots kicks a field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Eagles defeated the Patriots 41-33. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Gostkowski /

Defense/Special Teams

No thank you at all. As I said earlier, they did keep teams off the board more than you would think with the amount of yards given up. That could easily reverse this season. Even with some of the players the Pats brought it, losing corner Malcolm Butler isn’t easy to replace. For all the noise about him not being great, he played almost every defensive snap in 2017. There’s no reason to draft the Patriots defense/special teams.

Sleeper – Jordan Matthews – Would it surprise anyone if New England pulls Matthews off the scrap heap to catch 80 passes and rack up 800 yards and 6 touchdowns? That’s what New England does, that’s their bread and butter.

Bust – Tom Brady – To be clear, Brady will put up G.O.A.T. numbers as usual. I just can’t sink a top 50 pick into a position that legitimately might have 20-22 fantasy starters every single week.

Next: 2017 NFL Draft instant grades

Overview – New England doesn’t really have a middle class of player. They’re either the cream of the crop at their positions or they’re late round fliers. Brady and Gronk are fantastic, Burkhead should be good but is a little pricey, and I’d rather take a Patriot receive late than early.

There’s plenty of fantasy goodness to be had from this team if you’re careful about where exactly you’re drafting them. If this were any other team, I may not trust them to get the offense up to speed with all the new faces. It’s the Patriots. Their offense will be just fine.

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