New England Patriots DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

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.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joshua Dobbs was sharp in relief on Monday evening. He went 3-for-4 with 35 yards and added seven yards and a score on his lone rushing attempt. Dobbs came in to relieve Brock Purdy (elbow), who suffered an injury on their final offensive drive of the game. Dobbs connected with Jauan Jennings twice, once on a 15-yard strike, and the other on a nine-yard pass. His other completion went to his tight end, George Kittle, for 11 yards. Dobbs would then rely on his legs to punch in the seven-yard score in the red zone. When Purdy missed time earlier this season due to a shoulder injury, Brandon Allen was given the No.2 role; however, it appears that Dobbs now holds that spot on the depth chart. If Purdy cannot play in Week 18, Dobbs will likely get the starting nod and could be worth a look as a deep league streaming option and a value play in DFS against the Arizona Cardinals.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins brought in both of his targets for 33 yards in his team's 40-14 drubbing of the New York Jets. The 31-year-old commanded just two looks on a day when quarterback Josh Allen's pass attempts were down again -- tossing 27 during an outing in which they controlled from start to finish. Despite participating in every game this season, Hollins has registered 50 or more yards just twice all year. It hasn't been all bad in 2024, as the veteran has hauled in a career-high five TDs. Still, he's otherwise compiled 28 receptions and 353 yards while leading the Bills' WR corps in snaps. With Buffalo's playoff spot all locked up, their meeting with the New England Patriots in Week 18 is but a formality. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see the squad sit their starters for at least some of the contest.

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.