📣Who's Calling The Shots In NE?

You won't believe this, but the Patriots are involved in some shenanigans again...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter:

The Patriots backfield has long been a tough riddle to crack. Even the mere mention of "Patriots RBs" can send a shiver down a fantasy manager's spine.

Committee back rotations, herky-jerky usage, role-specific utilizations... let's just say Bill Belichick knows how to toy with us Fantasy Lifers.

Things aren't looking any clearer for 2022 either. The team is bringing back a cavalry of options in the backfield:

• Damien Harris, veteran who racked up 15 TDs last year

• Rhamondre Stevenson, explosive second year back

• James White, perennial pass-catching specialist

• Pierre Strong Jr., very fast 4th round rookie (4.37 40 time)

The thing that makes this particularly tricky for drafting purposes is that all of these backs bring something different to the table and can justifiably be used in specific roles. I got a headache just typing it out.

But if there's one back that I think can emerge from the muddled waters to do everything, it's Stevenson, who is currently available in the 10th round of Underdog drafts.

Per Josh Norris, Stevenson ranked only behind Nick Chubb and Rashaad Penny last year in "big plays" (10+ yard carries & 20+ yard receptions). If he can somehow keep White on the sidelines during third downs, we could be looking at a blastoff scenario:

There will always be a discount on Patriots RBs simply because no one trusts Bill. Hell, we don't even know who will be calling the plays (more on that in a second from Kendall!), which means we should be betting on the most talented and explosive player to emerge.

Stevenson has multiple paths to delivering on his double-digit round ADP, either through explosive plays or by taking over more of the pass-catching work. I'm loading up.

The Patriots have always kept things close to the vest, but we at least normally know who is calling the shots on offense. That's not the case right now, where uncertainty abounds. Our Senior Analyst & Director of Social, Kendall Valenzuela decodes the current situation for us.

We all know Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in NFL history. One can scrutinize decisions made in the past, but the benefit of the doubt almost always falls to the third-winningest coach of all time in the NFL.

But things may be changing for the New England Patriots.

For the better part of a decade, Belichick didn’t have to worry about his offense because of Josh McDaniels. However, the former offensive coordinator left Foxborough and all its glory and landed the head coaching gig for the Las Vegas Raiders in January.

While Belichick had the ability to take a “hands-off” approach with the offense before, a shift within the Patriots dynamic is sure to be on the horizon. Just months ago the Patriots lost four offensive coaches, including their offensive coordinator, so it’s somewhat acceptable to be questioning the direction of the team.

If Belichick expects himself to wear multiple hats during the 2022 season, then surely one side of the ball will weaken. Steve Belichick (who is calling plays for the defense) during a May press conference said he doesn’t really see his father’s role changing.

“I don’t really know what he’s going to do… He’s always involved in everything. I don’t anticipate that changing.”

Of course, the most recent reports may be leaving all Patriots fans questioning their leader. (Former Lions head coach and Patriots defensive coordinator) Matt Patricia could be calling offensive plays for the New England Patriots in 2022 … DO NOT PANIC.

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported on Monday the situation is “trending” in the direction of Patricia, though head coach Bill Belichick has not made a final decision on who will call plays during the season (the other candidate is former Giants head coach Joe Judge).

Alright, you can panic a little. Patricia and Judge were a combined 23-52-1 as head coaches, respectively. The units they previously coached as assistants were on special teams and defense.

Mac Jones is undoubtedly the Patriots’ best asset right now. But how compromised will his second-year jump be with a new coordinator, OL coach, TE coach, RB coach, etc.

Belichick seemingly always has a plan, but losing so many coaches within the building over the past few years makes you wonder how much of this plan was forced on the fly.

The lack of a true replacement for McDaniels should probably worry a lot of people.

🐏 The Rams RBs are already banged up. This is going to be a backfield with a ton of opportunity, so it's worth following closely throughout hot best ball summer.

🍦 First Najee, now Lenny. Fournette gained some weight this offseason, err, I mean he's looking low key thicc.

💒 Odell was a hot commodity at Sean McVay's wedding. All the coaches were apparently very curious to see how his ACL looked during the garter toss.

📺 Preseason National TV games. Clear your schedule, the Jags and Raiders are playing in Canton.

🔭 2022 Jameson Williams watch begins. We must be patient, but here's our first data point.

The season is fast approaching, which means it is time for us to get to know all of these NFL teams and who we should be drafting and fading after a busy offseason. In today's team preview, Jonathan previews the Miami Dolphins with an illustration from Sam Holt.

The Dolphins have had a busy offseason after finishing last year with a 9-8 record and narrowly missing the playoffs. Starting at the top, Mike McDaniel is the new HC and will presumably bring a Shanahan-style scheme to South Beach. They also overhauled the offense, most notably by trading for and signing premium players at WR and OT.

This team is very exciting on paper but its success will ultimately depend on if Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel can live up to their respective billings as franchise QB and offensive guru.

⚙️ Offseason changes

• Traded for Tyreek Hill to form one of the scariest WR duos in the league alongside Jaylen Waddle. Also signed WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. as a quality third receiver.

• Signed OL Terron Armstead and Connor Williams to improve protection for Tua.

• Added multiple veteran RBs with Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and Sony Michel all signing.

• Traded away DeVante Parker to the Patriots.

✨ Team vibes

There is a lot of optimism for this Miami team going into 2022, and for good reason. They’ve surrounded Tua with an impressive group of weapons and are working with a system that seems to fit their personnel extremely well. If the offense can take a big step forward and the defense can remain a top-15 unit, the Dolphins will be a formidable opponent in 2022.

Their win total of 9 (per DraftKings Sportsbook) matches their record from last season, but that is a reflection of what projects to be a much tougher schedule this year.

For fantasy purposes, there really is a lot to like at the skill positions, especially if you believe in Tua. This may be a bit of a controversial opinion but I think both Hill and Waddle can return value on their current ADPs and because of that, I'm buying the majority of the pieces in this offense. Tua, don't fail me now. (Please)

🎯Draft targets

• Tyreek Hill (Underdog Fantasy ADP 21.6)

• Jaylen Waddle (Underdog Fantasy ADP 35.1)

• Tua Tagovailoa (Underdog Fantasy ADP 135.6)

• Raheem Mostert (Underdog Fantasy ADP 188.0)

👋Draft fades

• Chase Edmonds (Underdog Fantasy ADP 110.4)

• Mike Gesicki (Underdog Fantasy ADP 130.9)