Massive news broke on Tuesday from the New England Patriots camp that QB Cam Newton had been released from the team. You could say this was SHOCKING news at the time, as Newton had been the QB1 throughout training camp, taking all the first team reps in each preseason game. Enter Mac Jones, the new heir apparent to New England’s starting QB spot. After Jones dazzled in his opportunity at Giants joint practices with Cam away for COVID-protocol, Bill Belichick handed the keys over.
This will change the entire outlook for the 2021 Patriots offense, meaning some enormous fantasy implications throughout the Patriots roster. In particular, Damien Harris, Jakobi Meyers, and James White skyrocket up The Wolf’s 2021 Big Board & Rankings with improved 2021 fantasy outlooks.
Biggest Riser: Damien Harris
Harris by far gets the biggest bump from the removal of Newton in New England. He already saw a stock bump after Sony Michel was traded, but Harris continues to climb. Yes, Patriots RBs have burned fantasy owners before. Still, Harris has been billed as the true RB1 for the Patriots all summer, and should get the lion’s share of work over Rhamondre Stevenson and James White– regardless of how impressive Stevenson has been. Now with Newton gone though, owners are salivating at the chance to get Harris due to the goal line work and touchdown upside.
Last year, Cam Newton was the Patriots best goal line running option. Newton had 12 touchdowns on the year, with 19 carries inside-the-five. Both of these ranked 4th in the entire league. New QB Mac Jones is the polar opposite of Newton when it comes to rushing ability, so those touchdowns and goal-line attempts will go straight to the RB grouping. Sure Stevenson and even James White will occasionally get goal-line touches, but make no mistake Harris is by far the clear best option in New England to turn to down at the goal line. He now drips in 12+ TD upside, in addition to 1K potential on the ground.
Stevenson, meanwhile, becomes an even more intriguing late-round flier as a handcuff-with-benefits option.
Other Notable Riser: Jakobi Meyers
Meyers was already a fantasy sleeper we were targeting, aggressively, even before the Newton release. The hype storm has been real, with Meyers labeled “the most consistent receiver,” “most reliable and productive WR for 2021” and “No.1 receiver throughout camp” from three separate sources, praise that was backed-up by his preseason stats: 4 rec, 6 tgt) 67 yards, 1 TD in roughly 1.5 Qs of football.
The fantasy outlook for Meyers looks even better now that he has a QB in Mac Jones who can actually throw him the ball accurately. With Jones under center, the New England offense looked much smoother and natural. His accuracy is uncanny, and Meyers will be a slot wizard now that the Patriots have some talented receivers on this year’s roster.
Plus, the great Scott Barrett dubbed Meyers as a potential “League Winner” on our pod even before the QB change. Bill may suck at evaluating early-round WRs, but has a clear talent for late-round ex-QB converts (lol), and Meyers could truly be the next great one.
Before 2020, Patriots slot WRs had been on pace for 140+ targets & 24% market share in 12/12 seasons. They’ve also finished Top-12 in PPR PPG in 9/12 seasons, while ranking outside the Top-20 in PPG just once. I doubt Meyers sees that much work on a team that’ll prioritize defense and controlling the clock via the run, but it could be close with Jones under center. Plus, with zero career touchdowns, all the positive scoring regression in the world is on his side. Won’t leave drafts without him.
Don’t Forget About: James White
According to our fearless leader The Wolf:
James White is the single biggest value at RB in 2021
— Wolf of Roto Street (@RotoStreetWolf) August 31, 2021
This might be a bit rich for me, but I can see the logic behind the buzz. Cam Newton crippled White, and his receiving numbers dropped dramatically. With New England focusing heavily on the run game, and Newton’s ability to scramble, it put a huge damper on White’s receiving upside. He essentially became a non factor in fantasy leagues.
Wolf is screaming from the mountain tops that White has insane value especially with Mac Jones as QB1. He’s monopolized all third-downs and passing situations all preseason, and now will get a QB who can legitimately deliver him the rock. White should again be a safe bet for 4-5+ weekly catches, and has always had a sneaky nose for the end zone. Especially in Full-PPR leagues, White is a bonafide late-round steal. The ultimate pick for anyone punting RB early or in need of a bridge to a rookie.
What about Mac Jones’ fantasy outlook?
While I couldn’t be more excited for Jones as a Pats fan, from a fantasy-lens, he’s not moving the needle a ton for me. This offense will try to play a ton of “bully ball,” pounding teams with the run game to control the clock while leaning on the defense. Jones will make the throws he needs to and brings an excellent deep-ball for some big-game spikes here and there, but the less they have to rely on him the better. Mac is an enormous real-life upgrade for this Pats team, but I don’t expect him to be anything better than that tier of Sam Darnold, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Big Ben and co.
Damien Harris, James White, and Jakobi Meyers are ALL among The Wolf’s 2021 Draft Day Targets! To get more of The Wolf’s bargains, fades, Penny Stocks, and Round-by-Round strategy, as well as his 2021 Projections & Auction Values, check out his 2021 Investing Guide. Now only $10 for Labor Day Weekend! Learn more here or buy it here.
