New England Patriots DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joshua Dobbs is set to make his only start of 2024 in a Week 18 matchup against the Cardinals in Arizona. The 29-year-old will fill in for starter Brock Purdy (right elbow), as he did for a few plays at the end of last week's loss before scoring a rushing touchdown. Dobbs made his most recent start in Week 14 of 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings, as San Francisco opted for Brandon Allen when Purdy missed Week 12 of this season at Green Bay with poor results. Dobbs made some noise in fantasy last year, averaging 15.7 Yahoo default points per game with Arizona and Minnesota. He went over 20 points five times in 13 games -- driven mostly by rushing touchdowns -- but went out with a whimper with the Vikings, failing to reach five points in his final two starts. The Cardinals are the 12th-toughest defense to opposing fantasy quarterbacks, but they've allowed five rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks -- the fifth-most in the NFL. "The Pass-tronaut" is a QB2 in Week 18, but could be a sneaky-good DFS play for those who choose to spend big at other positions.

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) did not practice at all this week and has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Kayshon Boutte (illness) was cleared to play. The 22-year-old Polk will finish off what has been a bad rookie season early due to a shoulder injury. The second-round selection just never had much of a chance to excel in 2024 in a bad offense with rookie quarterback Drake Maye struggling to find his footing with limited weapons around him. Polk will finish his first year in the NFL with only 12 catches on 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games (seven starts). The Patriots will surely look to bring in upgraded receiving options this offseason, giving Polk and others even more competition.

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (foot) was a limited participant in practice all week and is listed as questionable to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Henry will enter the final week of the regular season as a shaky fantasy TE on the TE1/2 borderline. Aside from his injury, the Patriots and Bills have nothing on the line on Sunday besides draft positioning, so there's a chance that Henry doesn't see the field all that much if he's active. If he's ruled out on Sunday morning, Austin Hooper would be a TE sleeper in DFS lineups. Henry has been a low-ceiling, low-floor fantasy TE in 2024 in the low-scoring Patriots offense with rookie quarterback Drake Maye leading the show. He currently ranks as the TE19 in half-PPR points per game (5.0) with 66 catches for 674 yards and only two touchdowns in 16 games played.

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye (hand) is listed as questionable ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said that Maye would start on Sunday. Now, Maye is in danger of missing the regular season finale due to a right hand injury. If he sits, Joe Milton III would be in line to start this weekend. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett is also on the roster, but the Pats are likely to go with Milton over him. The former sixth-rounder is an intriguing prospect, but Milton isn't someone worth streaming especially against the Bills defense.

According to the team, New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (foot) remained a limited participant during Thursday's practice. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his status during Friday's practice as he could carry a questionable tag if he cannot upgrade to full participation. Last weekend, the veteran tight end had a disappointing showing as he could not bring in any of his two targets. This was the first time all season he was held without a reception. However, during Weeks 11 through 16, Henry caught 5.2 passes per game while tallying 49.2 yards per game. If Henry can turn the corner in time for Sunday's game, he should be viewed as a low-end TE1 in PPR formats facing a Buffalo Bills defense that has allowed the 16th-most PPR points to opposing tight ends.