New England Patriots DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

New England Patriots wide receiver Javon Baker (coach's decision) and Tyquan Thornton (coach's decision) are inactive for Week 6 against the Houston Texans. Both players are healthy scratches. Baker has repeatedly been inactive, failing to log an offensive snap since Week 2. He's still searching for his first NFL target and will have to wait at least one more week. Thornton, meanwhile, has been the subject of trade rumors lately but lacks significant fantasy appeal; he hasn't registered a reception since catching two passes back in the season opener. Both players can be dropped in all redraft and most dynasty leagues.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) is expected to play on Sunday according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. Bourne opened the campaign on the PUP list and made his season debut last weekend against the Miami Dolphins. In this game, the 29-year-old logged only 15 total snaps, which was the lowest among New England wideouts. This week, Bourne was a limited participant during all three practice sessions. Fantasy managers should leave Bourne out of their lineups this weekend until he is able to emerge as a proven starter in the passing attack.

New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye finds himself off the fantasy radar heading into Week 6 against the Houston Texans. Slye had a promising start to the season, but now he's 9-for-11 on field goals, averaging fewer than two made three-point tries per game. He does have a powerful leg that can generate plenty of distance, which could be helpful this week if New England's Drake Maye-led offense can't get too far beyond midfield. On the other hand, the Texans are a powerful team and enter this weekend as heavy favorites, so scoring opportunities could be few and far between for New England. All in all, Slye has shown flashes of promise, but his field goal percentage and matchup make him tough to trust as a streamer heading into Sunday's contest.

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry lacks much fantasy appeal heading into Week 6 against the Houston Texans, but he could see a slight boost in his value with Drake Maye installed as the team's new starting quarterback over Jacoby Brissett. Tight ends are typically productive when playing with backup or rookie quarterbacks because their height, physicality, and shorter routes make them a valuable security option for signal-callers who need some help in the short passing game. As a result, even though Henry has more than two catches in just one game this season, he should jump into the low-end TE2 tier as he supports Maye in his first NFL start.

New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas has been peppered with targets lately, and that trend should continue when he faces the Houston Texans at home in Week 6. The 23-year-old receiver has nine targets in two of his last three games, and he's averaging seven targets per game over the last three weeks. His production has been solid while catching passes from Jacoby Brissett, and he figures to get a boost with Drake Maye taking over as the Patriots' starting quarterback this Sunday. While wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk has started to emerge as the top wide receiver in New England, Douglas remains a high-volume pass-catcher with significant appeal in PPR leagues. He remains a WR3/FLEX play in leagues with at least 14 teams.