Mohamed Sanu to the New England Patriots: Fantasy Context
By Raju Byfield
Mohamed Sanu
Mohamed Sanu fetched quite the price for his services, and that leads one to believe that the Patriots envision him as an every down player. Sanu should slide right into the starting lineup beside Phillip Dorsett and Julian Edelman. Instantly the best blocking wide receiver on the team, Sanu’s presence upgrades both the run and passing games. Sanu will be a matchup based WR2/3 for fantasy purposes, but with the Patriots schedule getting tougher from here on out, will have much more value than he would have had during the Patriots first seven games. Sanu will slide back into flex territory if and when Josh Gordon returns to full health.
Sanu has been enjoying an excellent season from an analytical perspective. He currently has a career high in catch rate at 78.6 percent, and was on pace for a career high 75 receptions. He is currently fifth among all receivers in average yards of separation. His ability to consistently get open may have been helped by the fact that he played 77 percent of his snaps in the slot this season, but the Patriots are creative enough to continue to put Sanu in a position to succeed even if he is listed as an outside receiver with Edelman in the slot.
Sanu gets an obvious fantasy boost in New England despite playing for a team that will not be forced to pass as much as the Atlanta Falcons were this season. Sanu could eventually become the number two option in the passing game in New England. In Atlanta, he was the fourth of fifth option some nights. Sanu may very likely depart the Patriots in the offseason, so dynasty owners with shares of the veteran wideout may want to look to dangle him as a trade piece immediately. His value will likely never be higher, making the sell high window officially open.