Free agency and the NFL Draft have come and gone: It’s time to fully embrace the 2023 offseason by breaking down the fantasy football aspirations of each and every team before draft season truly gets underway.
What follows is a fantasy-focused breakdown of the New England Patriots, looking at key questions like:
- Was 2022 just a down year for Mac Jones or a sign of even worse things to come?
- Will Rhamondre Stevenson (again) be featured as the offense’s three-down workhorse?
- Is there a WR or TE worth overly pursuing in this crowded passing game?
Every fantasy-relevant player from the Patriots will be covered in the following paragraphs. Make sure to check out the Fantasy Life Team Preview Landing Page through the end of June for more all-encompassing fantasy football coverage.
Notable Offseason Moves
From the front office, to the coaching staff, to the roster: Every 2023 NFL team will be different than its 2022 version.
The Patriots are no exception. While head coach Bill Belichick is back for his 24th year in New England, often criticized defensive coordinator turned play-caller Matt Patricia is now working with the Eagles. His replacement: former Patriots OC turned Texans head coach turned Alabama OC, Bill O’Brien.
Maybe Belichick and O’Brien’s history together brings out the best of both, although the Houston years weren’t exactly anything to write home about, considering O’Brien never led a top-10 offense in terms of yards or points despite having the likes of Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins at his disposal.
The good news is that BOB did show a willingness to post a higher pass rate over expectation (PROE) and neutral situation pace than the 11th- and 17th-ranked 2022 Patriots:
- 2020: +5.4% PROE (No. 6); 30.27 seconds per play (No. 15)
- 2019: +1.2% (No. 9); 30.49 (No. 14)
- 2018: -0.9% (No. 18); 30.99 (No. 15)
- 2017: -4% (No. 23); 29.57 (No. 8)
- 2016: -3.1% (No. 27); 30.5 (No. 16)
Additionally, the Patriots have made plenty of changes to their roster. The following QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs have either joined or left New England in some way, shape or form this offseason:
- QB: Longtime backup QB Brian Hoyer left to join Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas. The Patriots signed ex-Cardinals/Ravens QB Trace McSorley (one-year, $940,000) to compete for the backup job.
- RB: Early-down RB Damien Harris was signed away by the Bills, leading to the Patriots taking on ex-Jaguars/Jets RB James Robinson (two-year, $4 million) to a team-friendly deal that includes just $150,000 guaranteed.
- WR: No. 1 WR Jakobi Meyers joined former OC Josh McDaniels with the Raiders, while on-and-off starter Nelson Agholor signed with the Ravens. This led to New England handing ex-Steelers/Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (three-year, $25.5 million) the sort of deal that *should* lead to a featured job.
- TE: The Patriots traded $50 million TE Jonnu Smith to the Falcons, where he’ll reunite with former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Solution: Sign ex-Dolphins “TE” Mike Gesicki (one-year, $4.5 million) to work alongside incumbent starter Hunter Henry.