New England

Patriots

Boutte was arrested in January after reportedly placing thousands of bets while underage by using a fake account. Some of those bets were on LSU games while he was playing at the school. Despite the charges being dropped, his future in the league remains unclear. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo previously said the team will “wait to hear from the league going forward,” in regards to Boutte. He has been practicing with the team this offseason and is looking to rebound from a quiet rookie campaign. Boutte caught two passes for 19 yards and appeared in just five games last year.

Graff notes that this may be dependent on whether or not Kendrick Bourne (knee) needs more time to recover from his torn ACL. However, he also says Polk was “a steady, reliable target in minicamp” as the rookie worked in more with the first-team offense. The Patriots drafted Polk with the No. 37 overall pick in this year’s draft. The former Washington Husky totaled 69 receptions for 1,159 and nine touchdowns in his final college season, and while it sounds like his impact in 2024 is somewhat contingent on when Bourne returns, it’s worth noting that the Patriots have one of the worst receiver rooms in the league. It’s possible Polk will show enough in camp to earn a significant role regardless of Bourne’s availability, which could set the stage for a strong rookie season. With that said, expectations should be tempered, as the Patriots have a long way to go before becoming a high-end offense for fantasy purposes.

Judon reported to mandatory minicamp last month and isn’t considered a risk of holding out of training camp at this time. McKenna did say that “things are progressing in the right direction for an extension,” but it doesn’t sound like anything is imminent at this time. Last season, the Patriots restructured Judon’s contract for the 2023 season to guarantee him $14 million instead of the $2 million he was set to receive. It’s possible the two sides do something similar if they can’t land on a long-term extension, but there’s still time to get a deal done. Judon, who turns 32 in August, is coming off a 2023 that was shortened due to a biceps injury, but the veteran pass rusher totaled four sacks in the four games he appeared in. While the two sides appear to be in good standing with one another, it’s apparent that Judon is hoping to maximize on his value before entering the twilight of his career.

Tavai’s base money in the new deal is $15 million with $6 million in incentives. Tavai, a former second round draft pick by the Lions, had career highs in tackles (110) and tackles for loss (5) in 2023. He’s entering his fourth season with the Patriots.

The Patriots used the No. 37 pick in this year’s draft to select Polk and bolster a wide receiving corps that’s been underwhelming for the last several seasons. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound receiver has been described as a “self-starter” by head coach Jerod Mayo, and Reiss notes that Polk and rookie Drake Maye have put in a lot of extra work after practice. Polk broke out for 69-1,159-9 in his final season at Washington, splitting time both outside and in the slot. With second-year receiver Demario Douglas expected to play primarily in the slot this season, it’s possible Polk plays on the outside early and often for a team that’s in desperate need of young, productive players in the passing game. Polk is worth a late-round dart throw in deep PPR leagues, but fantasy managers shouldn’t bank on an overly-productive rookie campaign.

Brissett, the journeyman who last started for the Browns in 2022, “took all of the first-team reps, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made clear that wasn’t a fluke, referring to Brissett as the starter,” according to Graff. First-rounder Drake Maybe, Graff said, will have to be the “clear winner” in a training camp competition with Brissett if he’s going to take over as New England’s opening day starter. “If the competition between them is even close, Brissett is probably under center in the opener,” Graff said. Brissett was solid as Cleveland’s starter in 2022, ranking third among all QBs in completion rate over expected and throwing 12 touchdowns along with six interceptions through ten starts. Maye will likely get the starting job once the Patriots’ season goes sideways and they are no longer in playoff contention.

Douglas was a sixth-round pick of the Patriots last season and went on to lead them with 561 receiving yards. The speedy receiver played 67.7 percent of his snaps from the slot and has a chance to once again lead a receiver room that returns many familiar faces. Currently going in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, Douglas has the making of a PPR steal if the Patriots’ offense can take a leap in their first year under head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Douglas had four double-digit PPR performances last season, playing in a broken Pats offense as a rookie.

Stevenson said earlier this month that he thought he and the Patriots were “pretty close” to an extension. Now, the 26-year-old back is under contract through the 2028 season and set to lead the Patriots’ backfield under a new regime for the foreseeable future. Stevenson has rushed for 2,265 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three seasons with the team, adding another 121 catches for 782 yards and one touchdown. He averaged a career-worst 4.4 yards per touch last season, but the team is hoping for a much-improved offense with Mac Jones now gone and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt taking over. Stevenson could be challenged by Antonio Gibson for third-down touches this season but still profiles as an RB2 in PPR leagues. The Patriots are giving Stevenson $17 million in fully guaranteed money on this deal, which also includes an $8 million signing bonus and $12 million worth of incentives.

This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Thornton, a former second-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, has been slowed by injuries and offered little offense upside when healthy. Through 22 career games, he’s caught just 35 passes for 338 yards and two scores, with most of that production coming in his rookie season. In addition to playing under a new coaching staff, Thornton is also set to compete against rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Polk is already locked into a roster spot as a second-round pick, and the Patriots used a fourth-round pick on Baker, which should all but secure his spot. Outside of one or two depth options, the Patriots’ wide receiver room feels fairly in place. It may take a camp injury or two for Thornton to stick on the roster come cut day.

“I think it’s important,” Maye said. “It’s picking up little things every day.” This kind of story is often an offseason practice contrivance, but it’s easy to spot the significance in this instance. Maye is the Patriots’ new franchise player and Polk sits atop a ludicrously thin receiver depth chart. Any success they might have on offense this season is going to depend in large part on this connection. It’s a great sign they are already working overtime to establish it.