Despite More Difficult Schedule, Drake Maye Is Still A Top 5 Fantasy Quarterback

The Patriots far exceeded expectations last season, making it all the way to the Super Bowl. In his first full season as a starter, Drake Maye took a lackluster group of wide receivers around him and vaulted himself into being one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy. A more difficult schedule awaits the Patriots this season, but that doesn’t mean that Maye is in line for significant regression.

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MVP Debate

Maye was in the running for the NFL MVP award, which he ultimately finished second in the voting for behind Matthew Stafford. Maye completed 72.0% of his pass attempts, which is even more impressive when you combine that with his 9.27 yards per pass attempt. He completed 67 passes of at least 20 yards, six of which went for at least 40 yards.

The fact that Maye was even in the MVP discussion was impressive, given the lack of talent that the Patriots had at wide receiver. Their leader in targets was Stefon Diggs (102), who had 85 receptions for 1,013 yards. Behind him, the wide receivers with the next-most targets were Mack Hollins (65), Kayshon Boutte (46), and DeMario Douglas (46). Stafford was racking up stats throwing to the likes of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Another strength of Maye is his ability to contribute with his legs. He finished last season with 450 yards and four touchdowns across 103 carries. Over their four playoff games, he ran 29 times for 178 yards and one touchdown. The season prior, he had 421 rushing yards and two touchdowns over 54 carries.

Strength of Schedule

Last season, the Patriots had one of the easiest schedules in the league. The only teams that they played that finished with a winning record were the Bills and Steelers. They also padded their stats against some of the worst defenses in the league, including two games each against the Dolphins and Jets. In total, they played nine games versus teams that allowed at least 24.9 points per game.

Things won’t be as easy for the Patriots this season now that they will play a first-place schedule. Per 4for4's Hot Spots: Team Level Strength of Schedule, the Patriots have the fifth-most difficult schedule. The only defense that is considered very weak on their schedule is their two games against the Jets. The only two moderately weak defenses that they are expected to face are the Bears and Lions. Those games might not even be that easy, considering they play the Bears in Chicago and the Lions in Germany.

Improved Wide Receiver Group

While Maye made the best of the options that he had last season, it was clear that the Patriots needed to upgrade at wide receiver. They decided not to bring back Diggs, which further exacerbated their need to make additions. The biggest splash that they made was acquiring A.J. Brown in a trade with the Eagles. It came at a hefty price, including a 2028 first-round draft pick.

Brown’s tenure with the Eagles started off on a high note when he turned 145 targets into 88 receptions, 1,496 yards, and 11 touchdowns in 2022. However, things started to go backwards for him the last two seasons. A lot of that was because of a lack of opportunities. The Eagles attempted the fewest passes in the NFL in 2024, then followed that up by attempting the ninth-fewest passes last season. Brown barely racked up 1,000 yards last season despite appearing in 15 games. In 2024, he logged 1,079 receiving yards.

The combination of Maye and Brown has the potential to be deadly. Maye is great at deep passes, which is an area that Brown excels. The veteran wideout has averaged at least 10.1 yards per target in a season four times during his career. In each of those seasons, he averaged at least 15.4 yards per catch.

While Brown is the headliner, don’t sleep on the Patriots’ addition of Romeo Doubs. Stuck in a crowded wide receiver room with the Packers, he is coming off a career-high 724 receiving yards last year. In the last two seasons, he averaged 8.3 and 8.5 yards per target, while posting 10 total touchdowns. His addition pushes Boutte, Hollins, and Douglas down the depth chart and into a battle for the WR3, which is a role that each of them is better suited for.

The Patriots having a more difficult schedule should, in theory, put a bit of a damper on Maye’s fantasy value. However, the improvement at wide receiver could offset most of that. Those additions are likely while Maye still has an ADP of 57, per 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP. That slots him in as QB3, behind Lamar Jackson (ADP 45) and just ahead of Joe Burrow (59). Given the combination of his passing prowess and his ability to contribute on the ground, he is still in a favorable position to end the season as a top five quarterback in fantasy.

The Bottom Line

• Drake Maye is coming off an MVP-caliber season in which he used his combination of accuracy, big play upside, and rushing prowess to lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
• Maye was aided by the Patriots having a favorable schedule. After winning their division, their schedule will be significantly more difficult this season,
• The Patriots have greatly improved the weapons around their star quarterback, adding Brown and Doubs during the offseason.
• According to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP, Maye has an ADP of 57 and is QB3.
• Even with a more difficult schedule on the horizon, Maye has better receivers at his disposal and the ability to rack up rushing production. That still makes him a top-five quarterback in fantasy.