NFL Player News

New England’s head coaching position technically isn’t open at the moment and Russini has reported multiple times in the past that Jerod Mayo is expected to get a second season with the Patriots. Still, the timing of this report ahead of New England’s last game is enough to raise some eyebrows. The advantages to the Patriots job are obvious with the team in position for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft while having the most cap space in the league this offseason and a young quarterback already in place. The only question that remains is if the job will actually become available in the next week.

Freiermuth ran 27 routes on 38 dropbacks, which was a distant third behind DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard; however, Aaron Rodgers is far more effective when targeting the intermediate and middle areas of the field, which makes Freiermuth a more consistent target than either of the wide receivers. With Michael Pittman (foot) and Roman Wilson (finger) both hurt, Freiermuth could be a fringe TE1 next week against the Bucs.

Raridon, who was out last week, was very much involved in the revived New England passing attack. Hunter Henry, meanwhile, had three grabs for 44 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots have used two tight end sets at a high rate when Raridon is healthy. Unless Henry misses time, Raridon should remain on waiver wires in most 12-team formats. He had been targeted on ten percent of his routes headed into Week 5.

Jefferson didn’t miss a beat after returning from a one-game absence due to an ankle injury. He made several spectacular grabs in this game, the most amazing of which was a toe-tapping catch in the back of the end zone with three defenders covering him. Even at less than full strength, Jefferson is simply one of the best receivers in the league. He will remain near the top of the WR1 ranks when the Vikings face the Colts after their bye week.

Kiner’s seven touches came after TreVeyon Henderson went down with what could be a serious ankle injury in the second quarter. While much of his work came in garbage time, Kiner could work as the Patriots’ No. 2 back behind Rhamondre Stevenson if Henderson is sidelined in Week 6. Kiner is worth a look on waiver wires this week.

Perine was involved heavily against the Dolphins, a surprising development given his lack of touches to open the season. He trailed Chase Brown by just five snaps on the day, getting involved in short-yardage situations and seeing an increase in red zone snaps after Brown’s red zone fumble in the second quarter. He caught a touchdown running a route out of the backfield and finished with 78 total yards. We don’t expect Perine to consistently see this kind of usage, but he is back on the radar as a deep-league FLEX value.

45 snaps, one target. Helm has somehow grown less relevant than his 4/28 Week 1 showing would have even suggested. He can be dropped in most leagues at this point.

This was not the game many expected against a beleaguered Colts defense. Two of Metcalf’s three catches were on screens behind the line of scrimmage, and he was only targeted 10 yards down the field once. Aaron Rodgers is not having much success throwing the ball deep down the field, which means Metcalf is likely going to be a touchdown-dependent WR3 in fantasy next week against the Bucs.

Brown took a surprising backseat to Samaje Perine in the Bengals’ win over the Dolphins. He still led out-snapped Perine 38-to-33, but a red zone fumble hurt his fantasy production while splitting backfield touches 50/50. There were a few snaps where Brown lined up as a receiver with Perine in the backfield; the Bengals used both backs heavily. Brown previously dominated all sorts of touches for the Bengals backfield, so this is a new development. Game script certainly played a factor but Brown’s ceiling as an RB1 may be considerably lessened if Perine’s usage sticks. He is a fantasy RB2 with a Week 7 matchup against the Ravens on the horizon after a Week 6 bye.

Is this doing anything for anybody? Ridley had a 23-yarder to open the game and vanished thereafter. He has not cracked more than two catches or three targets all year and does not need to be in fantasy consideration in the vast, vast majority of leagues.

Maye had all day to operate in the pocket against a Raiders front seven that entered Week 5 with the league’s ninth highest pressure rate and fourth highest quick pressure rate. He attacked the Vegas secondary downfield from start to finish, hitting Kyle Williams and Pop Douglas for long touchdowns, and Williams for another long gain that put the Pats inside the five yard line. Maye’s rushing score came on a green scramble in the third quarter. Fully emerged from his early-season struggles, Maye is once again carving up opposing coverage units and causing fits with his scrambling ability. Maye, with eight total touchdowns over his past two outings, should be locked into lineups next week against a middling Jets secondary.