Team news: New England Patriots

Bill Belichick notes this morning that Damien Harris is in a different spot this year compared to last year. Can compete for the top role now. Kind of a rare admission from Belichick. Indication of how Harris is viewed in the building.

Damien Harris' stock has been slowly rising this summer, as he went from RB32 off boards in Underdog drafts in June to his recent spot at RB29 with an ADP of 85.2. Bill Belichick rarely gives much away and it's tough to take what he says too seriously, but Harris is in a great spot to lead the Patriots in carries in 2021 with a fantasy RB2 potential. The 24-year old is 4for4's 30th ranked RB in half-PPR formats.

Rookies Josh Bledsoe, Rhamondre Stevenson and Cam McGrone were all placed on the non-football injury list by the Patriots today. They can come off NFI and begin practicing at any time.

This is something to keep an eye on as training camp continues, and could help Sony Michel's chances of making the 53-man roster in 2021. For now, Rhamondre Stevenson is 4for4's RB88, with expected lead back Damien Harris RB33.

Cam Newton is expected to miss practice time due to the hand injury that he suffered yesterday, per source. Big opportunity for Mac Jones on the horizon. The Patriots have four OTAs next week then their minicamp June 14-16.

Rookie Mac Jones will have some time to show his capabilities early on in this summer program while Cam Newton rests. The veteran suffered a 'slight bone bruise' to his throwing hand during practice on Thursday afternoon. Newton is currently QB29 to Jones' QB35 in 4for4's rankings.

Running back James White is expected to re-sign with the New England Patriots, per source. It's not done but should be pretty soon. The versatile RB with 25 touchdown catches since 2014 back in the fold for New England.

After three straight seasons of 4.0+ catches per game, White's numbers dipped to 3.5 per game in 2020 with Cam Newton under center. His receiving yards per game dropped from 43.0 in 2019 to 26.8 in 2020. He's no longer a viable every-week flex option. The Patriots' backfield is shaping up to be an enigma yet again in 2021.

The #Texans are signing QB Tyrod Taylor to an incentive-laden contract, similar to what Cam Newton and Jameis Winston agreed to in recent days, per source. It can be worth up to $12.5 million, but the base value is less than half that. Solid backup money, and more if he plays.

And New England strikes again: The Patriots are signing former Chargers' TE Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal, including $25 million guaranteed, per source.

Hunter Henry joins fellow free-agent TE Jonnu Smith in New England on a three-year deal. The former Charger has put up starting TE numbers in three of the past four seasons and finds himself on a team with a whole slew of new weapons. The Patriots were the favorites to sign Henry until they locked up Jonnu Smith. It turns out that they wanted both players, and it appears that the team is trying to recreate the Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez offense of several years ago. Henry's arrival throws some cold water on Smith's upside since he's another mouth to feed in what was a very run-heavy offense last year. It's clear that the Patriots are planning to throw the ball more, the question is how much. Neither player is a clear and obvious fantasy TE1 at this point.

Related: Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne

The #Patriots aren’t done. They are signing WR Kendrick Bourne, source said. He gets 3-years for $22.5M.

In four seasons as a 49er, Kendrick Bourne posted 1,769 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 137 receptions. He's capable of playing both inside and out and should bolster a Patriots WR corps that's been lackluster in recent years. He joins Nelson Agholor as a free agent add in 2021.

The #Patriots have now agreed to terms with WR Nelson Agholor, source said. A huge day in New England.

It's been a busy day for the Patriots, as they have signed a number of players on both sides of the ball. Agholor revived his career last year in Las Vegas, catching 48 passes for a career-high 896 yards and eight touchdowns (which tied a career-high). His 18.7 yards per catch blew away his previous high of 12.4 from the 2017 season. He only saw 82 targets for the Raiders, which was just a single target more than the 81 that Jakobi Meyers saw as New England's leading receiver in 2020. Agholor will probably start opposite Meyers with Julian Edelman rounding out three-WR sets. The Patriots were run-heavy last season, but today's signings of Agholor and Jonnu Smith indicate that they are planning to throw the ball more in 2021. Agholor will be in the WR4 mix, though he's not necessarily walking into a much larger role in New England.

Former Titans’ TE Jonnu Smith reached agreement with the Patriots on a 4–year, $50 million deals that includes $31.25 million fully guaranteed, @DrewJRosenhaustold ESPN.

Along with Hunter Henry, Smith is one of the premier tight ends available in free agency. He's just hitting his prime (turning 26 in August) and is coming off a 65-target, 41-448-8 season for the Titans. He was underutilized in Tennessee's run-heavy scheme and played third-fiddle to A.J. Brown and Corey Davis in the passing game. The Patriots are in dire need of pass-catchers and that's where Smith can shine since he's something of a mediocre blocker (per PFF). In 2018, Rob Gronkowski saw 72 targets in 13 games (5.5 per game) and 105 targets (7.5 per game) the year before. Smith could certainly see 80-100 targets in 2021, though if the team continues to go run-heavy with Cam Newton at quarterback, that may not happen. (Jakobi Meyers led the team with 81 targets in 2020.)

Both WR Corey Davis and TE Jonnu Smith are aware that the #Titans will not be bringing them back to Nashville. Both will hit the free agent market per sources.

This is no big surprise for either of these players, and both should find themselves with a market during free agency. Corey Davis ended 2020 as WR30 in half-PPR points per game with 11.4, and Jonnu Smith's campaign was enough for TE10, averaging 8.0 half PPR points per contest.