Patriots Inactives

QB Jimmy Garoppolo
G Jonathan Cooper
RB DJ Foster
OL LaAdrian Waddle
DB Eric Rowe
TE AJ Derby
LB Dont'a Hightower

Gronkowski may be on a snap count tonight, but he wouldn't be active if the team didn't plan to use him in high yield situations.

Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint and isn't expected to play against the Texans, according to sources.

Initially, the team feared Garoppolo's injury would take six weeks to recover, but the tests revealed the damage wasn't as severe as they originally projected.

Sprained AC joints are fairly common, and players can usually return within 1-2 weeks. When the swelling subsides, it's all about treatment and pain management, the story said. Unfortunately for the Patriots, a short week comes at a bad time as they play this Thursday night. Rookie Jacoby Brissett will get the start. Garoppolo is aiming to get back for Week 4 before the return of Tom Brady Week 5.

Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo (shoulder) has been downgraded to out.

Jacoby Brissett will take over for the rest of the game. The Pats are up big and it's possible this played a role in the team's decision to keep Garoppolo out of the game. Keep in mind Tom Brady still has two more games on his suspension so if Garoppolo isn't able to play Brissett could be looking at a possible start.

Mike Reiss on TE Martellus Bennett: I subscribe to the theory that with defenses paying extra attention to Rob Gronkowski, it will open up more opportunities for Bennett. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Patriots run more than 80 percent of their offensive snaps with both tight ends on the field, so it won't be a matter of playing time for Bennett as much as how defenses decide to handle the dual threat at the position. It also helps that Jimmy Garoppolo and Bennett have seemed to develop a rapport in the preseason.

Eleven tight ends played 80 percent or more of the snaps in 2015, so if Bennett reaches that sort of playing time, he'll have a good shot at posting TE1 numbers given the overall production of New England's offense. He also has top five upside if anything were to happen to the injury-prone Gronkowski.

An impressive NFL debut for Malcolm Mitchell came to a premature end when the New England Patriots rookie wide receiver left Thursday’s game with an apparent arm injury. Mitchell caught four passes for 55 yards from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during the second quarter of New England’s preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. As he was tackled by De’Vante Harris following his fourth grab, Mitchell’s left arm bent awkwardly at the elbow, and he immediate exited the field flanked by team trainers.

Mitchell was having a good game prior to the injury.

Bill Belichick's toughest task in 2016 is not readying Jimmy Garoppolo, or figuring out the best offensive line combination, or figuring out a semi-functional offensive line grouping. His toughest task is figuring out how to best approach the injuries that lingered into the offseason.

And there are several factors in play here. The Pats want to preserve guys like Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis for late in the season, but they also want to give Garoppolo the best chance at winning in Weeks 1-4. They don't want to be in a position where Garoppolo goes 1-3 and Brady needs to go 11-1 to secure a first-round bye.

The author goes through some options the team has with both players. While Edelman's injury may not be serious, the fact is he didn't make it through many practices since being declared healthy. The story also talked about the possibility of the team keeping Lewis on the PUP list into the season through Week 7. Edelman can't go back on the PUP list, but he can go to IR and come back at any time. This is just one opinion of course, but it's something for potential owners to keep in mind.

Watching the Patriots offense during the first few open practices, Chris Hogan has been one of the central figures. He’s catching everything being delivered his way by either Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo, and he’s constantly getting open.

That 7-Eleven nickname is on the money. He does always seem to be open.

What Bill Belichick got was a perfect fit for his offense. Hogan works very well in the Patriots horizontal style of play. At 27, he’s a few years younger than the 30-year-old Edelman and Amendola, and with the duo sitting out organized team activities and minicamp, Hogan has been running those similar routes, the quick hitters that are staples to Brady and the offense. There’s little doubt, at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Hogan could move into Brandon LaFell’s old “X” receiver role as well.

Hogan has more size (6'1") than it seems, but his skill set isn't much different from that of Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola. It sounds as if he'll take over the outside role in the offense, which means he could potentially have a 2014 Brandon LaFell-type season. LaFell was the #22 receiver in standard formats two seasons ago. He'll need to see more snaps than Amendola if he's going to be fantasy relevant in 2016.