New England Patriots DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Following an up-and-down 2023 season, veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. The 2017 fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Tennessee saw the most action of his career last season, playing in 13 games with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings. Overall, he threw for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions and ran for 421 yards and six scores on the ground. He is listed alongside Brandon Allen in the QB2 role on the team's first unofficial depth chart, and the position battle is worth monitoring in two-QB and Superflex leagues. If Dobbs wins the job, he should be stashed in deep versions of those formats, as he would likely have at least QB2 fantasy value if Brock Purdy had to miss any time. Dobbs has fantasy-friendly rushing upside, and he'd get to throw to a loaded skill group in the Bay.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee), who has started camp on the team's PUP list, is expected to be part of a potential trade to the San Francisco 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk. The trade winds have been swirling around Aiyuk in recent days, but it's been reported that the framework for an Aiyuk trade has been agreed to by the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. Bourne tore his ACL in late October of last season but has returned to practice in uniform, but without a helmet or shoulder pads as he continues his rehab. After spending the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, the 29-year-old wide receiver enters his third season with the Patriots and now surveys a much more youthful wide receiver group with incoming rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker added to Demario Douglas and offseason addition K.J. Osborn. Bourne would compete for targets will all of these players, limiting his fantasy upside if he remains a Patriot.

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said that rookie first-round quarterback Drake Maye will play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday against the Carolina Panthers. "Everyone who is healthy enough to play in the game, will play," Mayo said. The head coach also said that the plan right now is for veteran Jacoby Brissett to start on Thursday. Although nothing has been officially announced, Brissett is the clear favorite to start for the Pats in the Week 1 regular season opener. While the 21-year-old Maye, who was the third overall pick in April's NFL draft, has much more long-term upside than Brissett, he's reportedly looked like a rookie in training camp as he tries to learn New England's offense. We'll get a better look at Maye during the preseason, but for now, he's not much of a redraft option in fantasy as he heads into his first year in the league.

New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas (hand) has been dealing with a hand injury and wearing a red non-contact jersey at the start of training camp. However, he took the field on Friday with a white jersey, signifying he has been fully cleared. It's promising to see him recover well before the start of the 2024 campaign, and he's looking to build off his solid rookie season. The 2023 sixth-round pick out of Liberty led the team's wide receivers in receptions (49) and receiving yards (561) but did not secure a touchdown reception last year. He's been labeled a sleeper candidate heading into 2024, and he's a risk-free selection at his draft spot after the first 175 players go off the board. That said, the entire New England offense is likely to have limited upside with Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye at quarterback and a lack of high-end weapons.

Entering his fourth season and coming off a new contract extension, New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson looks the part of a franchise running back at training camp. The 26-year-old says he's in great shape, and he's also excited for the offense's future. A big reason for that revolves around new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who is implementing an outside zone scheme for the Patriots' running backs. Stevenson noted that Van Pelt's scheme is the same one he ran in college at Oklahoma. Stevenson showed his potential in 2022, rushing for 1,040 yards along with 69 receptions and 421 receiving yards. Last year, however, he dealt with a thigh bruise and high-ankle sprain before being shut down after 12 games. New England's offense isn't likely to score a lot of points in 2024, rendering Stevenson a volume-driven RB2 option, with Antonio Gibson likely poaching some third-down work.