Fantasy Football Player Notes

TreVeyon Henderson probably isn't cut out to be an NFL workhorse. He never had more than 183 carries in any of his three seasons at Ohio State. Henderson split work with Quinshon Judkins in his final college season and didn't have more than 12 carries in any game last fall. But Henderson is a sensational playmaker capable of making hay on 12-15 touches a game à la James Cook. Henderson has big-time speed, sports car acceleration and quick feet. He changes direction with minimal loss of speed, and his cutbacks are jaw-dropping. He's useful in the passing game (11.1 yards per catch over his college career) and deadly on screens. After taking Henderson in the second round of the draft, the Patriots are likely to use him as part of a tag team with Rhamondre Stevenson. But with Henderson's playmaking ability, he's the favorite to lead New England in carries this season.

Stefon Diggs tore his ACL last October, which is why he's a relative afterthought in early 2025 fantasy drafts. Diggs is on pace to be ready for the start of the season, and he is immediately going to become Drake Maye's No. 1 receiver in New England. Before his injury-shortened 2024 season, Diggs had topped 1,000 yards in six straight seasons, and he was on a 1,000-yard pace when he got hurt last year. He may not be the same player he was in 2020, when he had 127 catches and 1535 yards and helped Josh Allen make the jump from promising young QB to superstar, but can he be a top-25 receiver? I believe he can be, which is why Diggs is one of my favorite draft targets.

Drake Maye did the best he could last year with a pitiful supporting cast. His offensive line was patchwork at best, and arguably, his top two pass catchers were Hunter Henry and Demario Douglas. Despite all of this, in the nine games Maye played at least 90% of the snaps, he averaged 18.7 fantasy points per game, which would have placed him as the QB11 last year. In those contests, he averaged. 36.8 rushing yards per game, which would have ranked fifth among quarterbacks last season. Overall, among 40 qualifying quarterbacks, Maye ranked 27th in yards per attempt, 17th in CPOE, 11th in highly accurate throw rate, 18th in hero throw rate, and had the 13th-highest turnover-worthy throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). The rushing output will factor in heavily this season for Maye and his fantasy outlook. The additions of Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, offensive line help, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can only help Maye in 2025. He's a strong QB2 who could finish as a QB1 this season.

Rhamondre Stevenson may have peaked with his 1,040-yard rushing season in 2022. He missed five games in 2023, and his 2024 season was a disappointment. Stevenson averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry last season, and his seven fumbles cost him some playing time. Now, the Patriots have added playmaking RB TreVeyon Henderson, a second-round draft pick. A 50/50 workload split might be the best Stevenson investors could hope for in 2025.

In his ninth NFL season, Hunter Henry established new career highs in targets (97), catches (66) and receiving yards (674). He scored only two touchdowns but still managed to finish TE12 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring. Henry quickly developed chemistry with rookie QB Drake Maye, who leaned heavily on the veteran tight end. Maye could take a step forward in his second season, and while the Patriots added WR Stefon Diggs in free agency and WR Kyle Williams via the draft, New England isn't exactly loaded at wide receiver, so Henry should still have ample opportunity to contribute. If Henry has better luck with touchdowns in 2025, he has a chance to return low-end TE1 value.

Demario Douglas is a low-end dice roll receiver in the later rounds this season. He was a flex-viable player at times last season. In his ten full games with Drake Maye starting, he had a 16.3% target share, 1.67 yards per route run, a 19.7% first-read share, and 0.079 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Nothing jumps off the page there, but he did manage three top 36 wide receiver finishes in those ten contests despite only managing five red zone targets. If Maye takes a big step forward in 2025, Douglas is likely coming along for the ride as a bye-week flex option.

Kyle Williams hive stand up! Williams gained a lot of traction in the fantasy community in the predraft process, with plenty of people hyping up the former Washington State late breakout. I remain a tad below consensus on Williams. Williams didn't surpass 900 receiving yards or 2.25 yards per route run in any collegiate season until 2024 (per PFF). The hope for the Patriots' third-round draft pick is that he can avoid faceplanting like Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker did last year. He'll need to hop Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Kendrick Bourne to see the field in 2025 as a full-time starter. He's a late-round flier only right now until we get more clarity about his spot in the pecking order in training camp and the preseason.

This ranking might seem aggressive considering the Patriots were the second-worst fantasy defense last year, but this New England defense has been remade this offseason. With the additions of Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry, and Robert Spillane, this unit has the talent to be a top 12 defense in both fantasy football and "real" football. The perimeter corner tandem of Davis and Christian Gonzalez could be among the best in the league in 2025.