New England Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (foot) logged a limited session in the team's first practice of the week. Henry hurt his foot in Week 17's blowout loss -- a 40-7 rout against his former team, the Los Angeles Chargers. He commanded just two targets and participated in only 30 snaps in the loss. Both figures are season-lows, and it was the first outing he did not record a catch all year. That he could at least practice in a limited capacity is a boon to his outlook for Week 18. However, seeing him elevate his practice status over the next few days would be good. The Patriots will host the visiting Buffalo Bills in a divisional clash this Sunday. As the game is meaningless for both squads, it's possible that if the veteran TE is closer to the wrong side of questionable, he's rested anyway. Keep an eye on him as the week closes out.

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye is expected to make the start in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Buffalo Bills. "Drake is the starting quarterback. If he's healthy and ready to go, he'll play," head coach Jerod Mayo said. There has been speculation going around that the Pats will hold Maye out of the meaningless regular-season finale with the Bills likely resting most of their starters. The 22-year-old third overall pick out of North Carolina this year has certainly given Patriots fans enough to look forward to in the coming years as their franchise signal-caller, but he mostly struggled in 2024 with a terrible supporting cast around him on offense. Going into Week 18, Maye has completed 66.8% of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 TDs and 10 interceptions while also scoring two TDs on the ground. He'll be a QB2 with upside in 2025.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has appeared in 12 games while starting in 11 of them during his rookie season. The team was eliminated from playoff contention a while back as they sit at 3-13 heading into the final week of the regular season. Head coach Jerod Mayo said "All possibilities are under consideration" when asked if they'll be resting Maye to avoid injury risk. If that's the case, Jacoby Brissett would go under center one more time, but fantasy managers will want to check back closer to kickoff.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte caught four of his five targets for 28 yards during Saturday's Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in blowout fashion. Just one week removed from the best game of his career and his second NFL touchdown, Boutte came back down to earth against the Chargers. He still tied for the team lead in targets and catches, but he finished second to DeMario Douglas in total yards and saw his fantasy value slide after failing to find the end zone. Boutte, a second-year receiver out of LSU, remains the No. 2 fantasy receiver in New England but drops to the low-end WR4 tier for Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills.

New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas caught four of his five targets for 49 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in blowout fashion. It was a peculiar game for Douglas, who had one catch for one yard and another catch for a loss of two yards along the way. Nevertheless, he salvaged and even boosted his fantasy value with a big 39-yard touchdown reception. The score came on a free play after a Los Angeles defender had jumped offside. Douglas, who has at least three catches in each of his last eight games, will rank as a low-end WR3 option for Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills.