Team news: New England Patriots | Page 6

Patriots TE Mike Gesicki suffered a mild dislocated shoulder during yesterday’s practice, source said.

Related players: Hunter Henry

As Rapoport pointed out, Gesicki has been impressive so far in camp. Rapoport added while nothing is given, the hope is he’s back for Week 1 despite the AC joint injury. As we stated yesterday, we do rank Henry higher than Gesicki on our TE list.

The Patriots are expected to sign former Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott to a 1-year deal worth up to $6M after his successful FA visit earlier in camp.

Related players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr., J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris

As Rapoport added, New England loves Stevenson, but they’ve been seeking a running back to bang it between the tackles, while adding Elliott's prowess in pass blocking at the same time. The move seemed to be in the works for a while. Elliott is expected to take on a Damien Harris-type role in the Patriots offense, a role that saw Harris collect about 9-10 carries a game last season in 11 games. He ran for 4.36 YPA and added three TDs. Although older than Harris, Elliott could potentially see a similar workload, and he also has some pass-catching ability as well. Still, Elliott will likely be tough to trust even as a flex, at least early in the season until we see his role.

Patriots TE Mike Gesicki left practice early with an upper body injury.

Related players: Hunter Henry

The post said Gesicki got hurt on a tackling drill against LB Jahlani Tavai. Gesicki walked off in pain with the head trainer grabbing under his shoulder pads, and he didn't return. While Gesicki was starting to get noticed at camp recently, we still rank him 31st on our TE list and below Henry, who is 20th.

The Patriots are hosting free agent RB Ezekiel Elliott on a visit today. The team has also had Dalvin Cook on its radar as it examines backfield additions behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson.

Related Players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr, Ty Montgomery

This would be a gigantic damper on Stevenson's early down role, but it looks like the team is determined to find a FA veteran RB in the mix. Hopefully a prospective signing will continue to put a damper on his ADP, as he should still have a majority role in the offense.

Vikings rookie WR Jordan Addison was cited just after 3 a.m. today for speed and reckless driving in St. Paul. He was driving 140 MPH in a 55, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Related Players: K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Jalen Nailor

This is a *very* tough look for the rookie, particularly with the sort of outcome that happened with a young former NFL player just a couple of years ago. As of now, it looks like maybe no one was hurt but that doesn't rule out league discipline. For fantasy purposes, Osborn has proven to be a reliable target when given the opportunity. We will watch for more news updates.

Veteran RB Leonard Fournette is working out today for the Patriots, per sources. Lombardi Lenny won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady in Tampa. Now Brady’s old team is taking a look.

Related Players: Rhamondre Steveson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris

No matter who the Patriots inevitably bring in, Rhamondre Stevenson will still hold a three-down role, but that probably exists on a sliding scale. Fournette would probably not be fantasy viable with a signing, but it certainly wouldn't be great news for Stevenson, who would like be closer to a fringe RB1 than a top-ten option.

The Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M.

Related Players: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne

This number seems astronomical. Parker barely cleared 30 receptions in 13 games played last season and this receiver group doesn't look much different than 2022. Regardless of this incentive-laden contract, he is still a WR5/6 in fantasy terms.

The New England Patriots have waived running back James Robinson after signing him to a two-year, $4M deal this offseason.

Related Players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong Jr.

The contract had only $150,000 in guaranteed money, which was a red flag, to begin with. This strengthens the case even further for Rhamondre Stevenson to be an absolute fantasy stud this season and possibly opens up the door for a little more usage from Strong.
There has been a light buzz on more Ty Montgomery usage, but that has been circulating for about three seasons across multiple teams, so we would do well to ignore that.

Per Fortier, who was at the presser with head coach Ron Rivera; Rivera still considers it a competition between Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett.

In a later conversation, Fortier asked if it was important for Brissett to receive first-team reps. The veteran responded with "we'll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge."

This is clearly an annoying situation for fantasy owners. The easiest thing we can boil this down to at this point; Jacoby Brissett represents a clear floor for both himself and his pass catchers in Washington. On the other hand, Sam Howell offers a very intriguing ceiling while offering what amounts to an incredibly low floor.

We'll have to wait and see how this develops.

Former Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki is signing a one-year deal with the New England Patriots.

Related Players: Hunter Henry, Durham Smythe

With Miami passing on re-signing the tight end/slot receiver, they now have a huge need to attack the position in the NFL Draft. For the Patriots, Gesicki essentially fills in for Jonnu Smith, who they shipped off earlier in free agency. Hunter Henry's fantasy stock has been an entire roller coaster in the span of one week.