2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: New England Patriots

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2010 Fantasy Football Rankings - New England Patriots 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings - New England Patriots:

Updated 6/7


  • Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Tom Brady may not have Wes Welker until Thanksgiving. How will that affect his stats? Well, in the three games without Welker last season, Brady averaged 216 passing yards, 1.3 touchdowns and 1.3 interceptions. Extrapolate that over 16 games, and Brady would have 3,456 yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions on the year. Ouch.

    It must be noted, however, that Brady was coming off knee surgery and suffered a broken finger late in the year, which affected his numbers. Brady's health will be a boost to his fantasy stats, as will the addition of Rob Gronkowski.

    I'm slightly concerned about his once-pristine work ethic though; ever since he married that super model, Brady has not appeared to be 100-percent committed to football (as evidenced by his skipping minicamps to be with his family when he had an entire offseason to do so).

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 4,400 passing yards. 26 passing TDs. 14 INTs. 70 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 265.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points (QB Friendly): 361.



  • Laurence Maroney, RB, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    The Patriots for some reason didn't draft a running back, so it's the usual suspects again: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk. Maroney scored nine touchdowns in 2009, but was benched for his fumbling problems in Week 16, and saw only one carry the following two games. Bill Belichick was fed up with Maroney at the time, but maybe he'll be more confident that his running back spent the offseason working on his issues. If so, Maroney will be the favorite to start, which could mean double-digit touchdowns if he holds on to the ball (and his job).

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 700 rushing yards. 12 catches. 80 receiving yards. 7 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 120.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 132.

  • Kevin Faulk, RB, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    It seems like Kevin Faulk has been New England's third-down back for the past 30 years. He'll once again catch about 40 balls.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 325 rushing yards. 40 catches. 325 receiving yards. 3 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 83.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 123.

  • Fred Taylor, RB, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Once again, it's unclear what Bill Belichick plans to do with his mediocre backfield. For all we know, Fred Taylor may receive 150 carries. Taylor did have 105 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Falcons in Week 3 last season, but suffered an injury the week after.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 375 rushing yards. 5 catches. 35 receiving yards. 4 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 65.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 70.



  • Randy Moss, WR, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Randy Moss failed to eclipse 75 yards in any game following Week 10 last season. You can attribute that to his separated shoulder and Tom Brady's broken finger, which the big media humorously neglected to report until right before that game despite the fact that the Vegas line dropped around four points against the Patriots. At any rate, there's some concern with Moss turning 33 in February, but he should still be an elite NFL receiver for at least one more year.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 84 catches. 1,250 yards. 12 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 197.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 281.

  • Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Wes Welker is expected to be hobbled until Thanksgiving, so Julian Edelman will play in the slot until then. Like Welker, Edelman won't score many touchdowns, but he'll post tons of receptions and prove to be a valuable commodity in PPR formats.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 68 catches. 675 yards. 3 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 85.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 153.

  • Torry Holt, WR, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    If Torry Holt can't rebound with the Patriots, he should just retire. Holt has really struggled the past two seasons, but this is his best chance to prove that he still has it.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 46 catches. 640 yards. 2 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 76.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 122.

  • Wes Welker, WR, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Picking up Wes Welker at the end of your fantasy draft and stashing him on your bench until Thanksgiving may seem like a good idea. Just keep in mind that even if Welker returns to the lineup, it's highly unlikely that he'll be anywhere near 100 percent in the wake of his torn ACL and MCL.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 50 catches. 575 yards. 3 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 75.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 125.



  • Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Rob Gronkowski should be an upgrade over Ben Watson, but Aaron Hernandez' presence troubles me. The two tight ends will negate each other in fantasy.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 25 catches. 375 yards. 3 total TDs.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 55.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 80.

  • Aaron Hernandez, TE, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Aaron Hernandez isn't worth drafting because he's just a rookie tight end, but it'll be interesting to see how the Patriots use him. He'll be lining up all over the field.

    Projected 2010 Fantasy Stats: 32 catches. 380 yards. 1 total TD.
    Projected 2010 Fantasy Points: 44.
    Projected 2010 PPR Fantasy Points: 76.

  • Stephen Gostkowski, K, Patriots. Bye: 5.
    Stephen Gostkowski's field-goal percentages the past three years: 87.5, 90.0, 83.9. New England's high-octane offense gives him tons of opportunities.

    Projected 2009 Fantasy Stats: 28-32 FG (2-3 from 50+; 8-10 from 40-49). 44 XP.
    Projected 2009 Fantasy Points: 139.

  • New England Patriots. Bye: 5.
    The Patriots struggle to get pressure on the opposing quarterback - a problem that will once again continue to plague the team in 2010 unless Jermaine Cunningham can thrive right away. Furthermore, Wes Welker's absence means that New England's chances of scoring a special teams touchdown are minimized.