As soon as players and coaches agreed on a deal, and Roger Goodell declared football being back, I instantly went into fantasy football mode. Now, I’m sure many of you reading this are fantasy football players. You know the swing of things, and you know the do’s and the don’ts. For anyone who doesn’t do fantasy football, or is looking to get into it, there is one rule that all of you should follow.
DO NOT ONLY PICK PLAYERS FROM YOUR FAVORITE TEAM!!!
I’ve done this plenty of times in the past, and I failed miserably.
With that being said, last season the Patriots had some players that racked up some big points for their fantasy team. This post will give you a quick guide of what Patriots players are going to help bring you a fantasy football championship, and maybe even a little bit of extra cash in your pocket.
Tom Brady:
This is a no brainer. Mr. MVP. It’s hard to assume that he’ll throw another 36 touchdowns, 3,900 yards, and just completely dominate, but you never know. He has more weapons this time around. Ochocinco, Faulk, Welker, Gronkowski, Edelman, Branch, Woodhead, Hernandez, Tate, Green-Ellis, Dwight Schrute… who? Ok, Office reference! But seriously, Brady’s going to have plenty of targets to throw to. I’m hoping that we get to see a little bit more of Taylor Price this season. Tom Brady is obviously a man you want as your starting quarterback. He’s a good second round pick.
Chad Ochocinco:
The name might be intimidating, but his stats speak otherwise. There’s a good possibility that Ochocinco was brought in as a chess piece to open up guys like Branch, Welker, Edelman, etc… From reading Mike Reiss’ twitter, Ochocinco has a little bit of butterfingers going on. He’s dropping passes a lot but that’s nothing to worry about. It’s August and everyone’s very rusty. It’s only being talked about because pre-season is next week and these guys usually have this rustiness taken care of by August. Ocho’s numbers last season were not his best. He had 4 touchdowns, 125 targets with 67 receptions. He did have a 831 yards receiving and from what I remember he had a hell of a game in New England Week 1. Draft him late if needed. Don’t forget who’s throwing to him. You have time to draft other players. Remember, he’s not here to shine on his own. He’s here to be a part of a team.
Wes Welker:
I’m big on Welker this season for a few reasons. Last season he came off of an injury. A lot of players are shaky and a little bit more cautious of their actions when coming off a season ending surgery. Welker’s had a lot of time to get comfortable, get his legs into shape, and now he’s got someone on the team like Ochocinco to draw the attention to all cornerbacks leaving Welker open. Am I saying he’s gonna have another year like 2007? It’s not impossible. Draft him higher. If he’s open in the 3rd or 4th round, pick him up.
Benjarvus Green-Ellis:
He was workhorse running back last season for us. He had 1,000 + yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, and about 4.5 yards per carry. With a successful season like that, you’d hope Belichick starts him. Right? Here’s the thing. Faulk is back. Morris is back. Woodhead is still here and with additions like Vereen and Ridley, Green-Ellis might not get as many touches. Don’t ignore him though. He’s going to be a late sleeper in the draft. He’s on my radar definitely. I think he’s gonna be a big part of New England’s success this season.
Rob Gronkowski:
This is my big sleeper pick. I think Gronk is gonna have another big year for the Patriots. Between him and Hernandez, I think Gronk has the edge when it comes to the amount of snaps taken per game. We saw a lot of Hernandez in the beginning and all of a sudden, Gronk came back with fire and had a 10 td season. Between Gronk and Hernandez, they were both targeted about the same amount of times and had about the same amount of receptions, it’s just that Gronk was more successful in the end zone. I think Gronkowski is going to be the go to guy when everyone else is covered. I won’t say he’ll get 10 touchdowns, but I know he’ll be targeted more. I recommend come draft day, if you’re in need of a tight end, don’t second guess Gronkowski.
Stephen Gostkowski:
Ending the draft and need a kicker? Pick him up!
Honorable mentions:
Branch: Great bench player. He never lets you down. Brady and him go way back and if you need a fill in, draft him late.
Woodhead: I have no idea what Belichick has in store for us with Woodhead. I know he’s not an every snap player. I don’t know if he’s worth drafting but if you have extra room for a RB in the end, give the little guy a team.
Hernandez: Another guy who isn’t a definite in any spot. I know he’s got plenty of talent. If he starts to pick up steam during the season then take him off the waivers.
Truth is we never know what to expect from Belichick every season. I know plenty of fantasy players are afraid to draft anyone but Tom Brady for fantasy football. So let them think that. It can be used to your advantage. Don’t draft all of these players in one team though. I had a hard time when I started playing 8 years ago because I was so loyal that I felt like if I drafted a guy Stephen Davis over Antwan Smith that I wasn’t a true Patriots fan haha. I was a fool. Good luck everyone!
ps. I did draft Bethel Johnson one year cause I swore he was going to be the next Jerry Rice… yep, that was me.
Contact me for any questions or follow me on twitter!
E-Mail: arwike12@yahoo.com
Twitter: TypicalPatsFan
Blog: www.typicalpatriotsfan.blogspot.com/
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