Stefon

Diggs

This was a quiet night for Diggs. He picked up nine yards with a crisp in-breaking route during the Patriots’ sixth drive, falling one yard short of the first-down marker. Two drives later, Diggs could have had a decent catch-and-run gain on a short crosser with Chargers defensive backs seemingly focused on the deep pass, but Chargers DL Teair Tart planted himself firmly in Diggs’ path, just after the veteran wide receiver cut inward. Tart’s fire hydrant impression effectively took Diggs out of the progression while the short-middle area of the field remained vacant. The Patriots face the winner of the Texans-Steelers game tomorrow night. The Steelers’ defense is far softer than the Texans’ elite unit.

The arraignment will now occur five days after Super Bowl LX, making it “virtually certain,” per Mike Florio, that the NFL will not place Diggs on the commissioner exempt list before the Super Bowl. Diggs is “the subject of a criminal complaint” that accuses him of “felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.” Nothing is guaranteed, but it appears as though Diggs will be available for the playoffs.

The Patriots’ starters played into the fourth quarter, but Drake Maye attempted only 18 passes, limiting compiling opportunities for his supporting cast. Healthy after a stretch of playing at less than 100 percent, Diggs enters the postseason as the Pats’ clear-cut No. 1 weapon. His off-the-field issues seem like they won’t encroach until after the season is over. The two-seed Patriots will host the seven-seed Chargers for the Wild Card Round.

Diggs is facing felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges. His arraignment is set for January 23rd. Barmore has an arraignment in February that stems from an alleged domestic incident in August. Things could change with both players as these stories develop, but the legal process is slow and the NFL may ultimately wait to step in until that process plays out. For now, both players appear to be available for NFL’s postseason.

The alleged assault, according to Boston 25 News, took place on Tuesday, December 2, after the Patriots beat the Giants on Monday Night Football. Diggs’ attorney said Diggs is in talks with the alleged victim to settle out of court. Diggs is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots issued a statement saying the team supports Diggs. “The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs,” the team said. “Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary.”

Diggs got open at will in this game, gashing the Jets for three gains of 20-plus yards. He also came away with a three-yard score at the goal line, netting him $500K in incentives. The absences of Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins undoubtedly allowed him to dominate the team’s intermediate and deep looks while also running some extra routes. Boutte should be back next week while Hollins is on IR, meaning he won’t play in Week 18. Coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, Diggs will be the WR2 mix versus Miami next week.

Diggs served as quarterback Drake Maye’s primary target in a game that was played tightly throughout, reaching the 100-yard threshold for the fourth time this season. Arguably more important than his contributions on the field was his leadership off the field as Diggs was consistently shown on the broadcast hyping up his team on the sideline, something that helped to spark the team’s first fourth quarter comeback win after being down by 11 or more since their Super Bowl victory over the Falcons. The 138 yards were more than Diggs had amassed in his previous three games combined and helped to secure a playoff berth for New England following a three-year drought.

The Bills were without their top cornerback, Christian Benford, so we expected a little more from Diggs, who was tremendous against his former team earlier in the season. Instead, Diggs was a bit of an afterthought as the Patriots controlled much of the game with their running attack and didn’t need to throw heavily until late in the third quarter. Still, once that time hit, Diggs and Drake Maye were unable to make any big plays. They’ll hope for more next week against the Ravens, but Diggs has now been held under 30 receiving yards in three straight games.

The modest target total was primarily a product of extremely positive game script following a 94-yard punt return touchdown by Marcus Jones in the first quarter, which the team would add to before the first frame was complete. They would eventually take a 30-7 lead into the break, muting the offensive production from all skill position players in the second half. Diggs continues to operate as one of many primary contributors in an offense built around packaged mismatches, meaning he is unlikely to return elite fantasy ceiling without an injury to another skill position player. Up next for Diggs is a matchup against one of his former teams when the Patriots take on the Bills following their Week 14 bye.

Diggs was blanketed by DJ Turner for much of the day, and Drake Maye barely looked his way. There was a report earlier this week that Diggs has been playing through a fractured finger, but that didn’t seem to play much of a role here. The veteran simply wasn’t a big part of the game plan with the tight ends doing so much damage against the Bengals’ safeties and linebackers. He could bounce back next week against the Giants and should be on the WR2 radar.