Julian Edelman

Don't just automatically assume that just because Edelman is returning to the field, that he's going to be the same player. He's now 32 years old and coming off a torn ACL last preseason. It's not to say he can't return and produce, but he finished as the WR22 while playing all 16 games in his age-30 season. A lot of the targets have evaporated in the Patriots offense and you have to figure that Edelman will still get every opportunity to succeed, so you don't want to write him off completely. He's obviously someone who would benefit in a PPR format. He's now been suspended for the first four games, so it's going to be difficult to hang on to him because the first month is the most important time to acquire waiver wire players. He shouldn't be drafted as a top-50 wide receiver at this point.

Julian Edelman loses appeal; four-game suspension upheld

The NFL denied Julian Edelman's appeal of his four-game suspension on Tuesday. He will miss the first four games of the season.

Fantasy Impact

Although there was some thought that Edelman could have his suspension at least reduced, it was not to be. He will miss games against the Texans, Jaguars, Lions, and Dolphins. Chris Hogan will likely benefit substantially, but Rob Gronkowski should see an even higher share of targets in Edelman's absence. Edelman should return as a WR2 immediately after his suspension ends, so don't dock him too far in your draft rankings.