New England Patriots DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk converted seven targets into three catches for 30 yards during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Polk had not commanded more than three targets in a single game through the first three weeks of the season, but that evidently changed this week as Polk led the Patriots with seven passes thrown his way. Despite the increased volume, Polk still didn't deliver a very appealing fantasy performance due to his lower catch and yardage totals. On a promising note, he made an impressive grab in heavy coverage along the sideline. It was ruled incomplete, but only because Polk just barely missed getting both feet in bounds. The play should give fantasy managers optimism that Polk can make flashy catches against starting cornerbacks in the NFL. The rookie isn't a reliable option for Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, but his long-term value continues to grow as he makes an impression early in his Patriots career.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 43 yards on 13 carries during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He also converted five targets into four catches for 19 yards through the air. On a more negative note, Stevenson did lose a fumble in the effort. He has now fumbled in all four games this season and has lost a fumble in each of the last two contests. Evidently, the running back's productivity and versatility on offense have been somewhat canceled out by his ball security issues. At the same time, fellow running back Antonio Gibson has tallied 219 scrimmage yards over the last three games, showing a combination of burst and ball security that we simply haven't seen from Stevenson in the last couple of weeks. Stevenson should still be the Patriots' No. 1 running back against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, but the gap between the two of them is likely shrinking as Gibson makes a case for more snaps and touches.

New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson rushed six times for 12 yards on the ground during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He left much more of an impact in the receiving game, hauling in three of four targets for an additional 67 yards through the air. He finished as the Patriots' receiving yards leader. Gibson now has 219 scrimmage yards over the last three weeks, but he's still searching for his first touchdown as a member of the Patriots. Nevertheless, he has demonstrated a tendency for breaking off big plays within a Patriots offense desperately searching for a spark after a 1-3 start. Gibson is still operating as the Patriots' No. 2 running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson, but given that Stevenson has lost two fumbles in the last two games and Gibson has impressed lately, the latter could be in line to earn more snaps going forward. He'll rank as a low-end RB3 heading into Week 5 against a suspect Miami Dolphins squad.

Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs finished with a solidly productive five catches for 69 yards and a rushing touchdown in a 24-20 victory against Jacksonville on Sunday. The veteran receiver drew nine targets, but found the end zone in the first quarter on a trick play that went awry. Houston handed the ball to Diggs with the intention of having him throw a pass, but he bailed on the idea and weaved his way through the Jags' defense for a six-yard touchdown run instead. The former Buffalo Bill now has three total touchdowns on the season. He'll play his former squad in Week 5 when Buffalo visits Houston.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is still several weeks away from playing, barring an injury to Jacoby Brissett, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. While Maye did see the field in garbage time against the New York Jets last week, the No. 3 overall pick has not yet been ramped up to NFL speed and continues to see roughly 30 percent of snaps in practice. The Patriots evidently aren't ready to make a change at quarterback yet, which means the starting job still belongs to Brissett. The veteran has completed 61 percent of his passes for 368 yards and one touchdown so far. Despite the low offensive numbers, Patriots fans and fantasy managers in deep leagues have to be excited that he hasn't turned over the football through three weeks. On a less positive note, he's taken nine sacks between a porous offensive line.