Doug Kyed: Patriots need to target N'Keal Harry deeper

Sep 18, 2020

In his weekly mailbag article, Doug Kyed of The Athletic said the New England Patriots need to target WR N'Keal Harry deeper down the field or do a better job of getting him open in space. "I want to see what Harry can do catching a slant with room to run," wrote Kyed. "I think he has potential on back-shoulder fades. The Patriots need to find a way to get Harry to average more than 4.8 career yards per target. They’re better off running every play than throwing to Harry taking into account the inherent risk of passing the ball."

"You can’t have a receiver averaging fewer than 5 yards per target. You either need that player to start catching a higher percentage of passes or he needs to be targeted deeper. Those are the options moving forward with Harry."

Fantasy Impact:

Harry has an opportunity to be the go-to receiver for Cam Newton. The passing game was not needed Week 1 because of the Patriots' success on the ground paired with Julian Edelman being Julian Edelman. The Seahawks are a much different and better defense than Miami, so a coming out party Sunday would be a boon for Harry.

Apr 17

Chargers to sign RB J.K. Dobbins on one-year deal

Tom Pelissero

Apr 17 · 7:45 PM EDT

Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins is planning to sign with the #Chargers on a one-year deal. Electric when healthy, Dobbins — who averages 5.8 yards per carry in his career — reunites with OC Greg Roman and can hit the market again in March.

Related Players: Gus Edwards

Fantasy Impact:

Dobbins has had poor injury luck in his career, but has only managed 234 total rushes since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. This is a low-risk, high-reward move by the Chargers and might give them a runway to wait a little longer in the '24 Draft before they address the position.

Apr 16

Cowboys sign RB Royce Freeman

Todd Archer

Apr 16 · 8:15 PM EDT

The Cowboys have signed running back Royce Freeman to a one-year deal. Freeman had 319 yards on 77 carries with 2 touchdowns last year for the Los Angeles Rams. He was 3rd round pick of Denver in '18.

Related Players: Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn

Fantasy Impact:

Freeman hasn't rushed for 500 yards since 2018, his rookie season. This shouldn't have any impact on the team drafting at the position and/or bringing back Ezekiel Elliott.

Apr 15

Eagles sign WR DeVonta Smith to three-year extension

Ian Rapoport

Apr 15 · 10:45 AM EDT

The Eagles have paid another big-time, rising player. This time, WR DeVonta Smith gets a 3-year, $75M contract extension that includes $51M guaranteed.

Related Players: A.J. Brown, DeVante Parker, Parris Campbell

Fantasy Impact:

Great news for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense as a whole. Smith will continue his 1b role in which he finished the 2023 season as fantasy's WR22.