Fantasy Football Player Notes

The Pats boasted a bottom-10 pass rush last season. They lost their sack leader in free agency and replaced him with Dre'Mont Jones. NE seems like a unit that could regress with a more difficult schedule in 2026 and worse injury luck on defense. Note that despite finishing last year inside the top 5 in fewest points allowed, they were the third-worst red zone defense. Just 23rd overall in defensive DVOA as the 10th-ranked DST. It's probably not worth reaching on too early based on their tougher opening 4 matchups against the formidable Seahawks, Steelers, Jaguars, and Bills.