The Patriots will finally, possibly meet the Broncos this Sunday in a much delayed matchup. These teams should at least be well rested, as they come into this matchup with the Patriots 13 days removed from their last game and the Broncos playing for the first time in 17 days.
Fantasy Football analysis: Patriots WRs Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Damiere Byrd
The Patriots receivers haven’t been all that useful in fantasy this season, but each has shown enough to believe they can be useful if the stars align just right.
Edelman has yet to catch a touchdown, but has one big game against Seattle, who pushed Newton and company to air it out more than usual. It was his only game over seven targets this season, as he caught eight for 179 yards. The question against the Broncos is, will the Patriots need to air it out that much against a Broncos offense who ranks 28th in points per game?
Byrd was the No. 1 target against the Chiefs in Week 4, as he caught 5-of-10 targets for 80 yards, but that also came with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer at the helm. He should continue to be a factor, but he will likely need the game flow to push Newton to throw a lot before hs can be a safe play.
N’Keal Harry is a tough call each week, because he leads the Patriots in red zone targets with eight in just four games, but has just one touchdown on the season, while topping 39 receiving yards once.
All three can be used in deeper leagues, but with no single receiver taking over, none are must starts each week.
Denver’s weakness this season has been against the pass though, as they’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. They’ve now allowed six receivers to top 81 receiving yards and eight to catch five or more passes, while they’ve been stouter against the run. Those numbers give me hope for these receivers and with a bye week taking four teams’ receivers out, there is room for all three on rosters out there in the world.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Start Julian Edelman as a WR3
Sit Byrd and Harry, but start both in deeper leagues.