RADIO
Tom Brady is the clear favorite in the MVP race due to his incredible work this season. The passing game of the New England Patriots has been the best source of fantasy production all year with Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis benefiting greatly in the first half of the fantasy schedule. With injuries losing top wide receiver Edelman and top running back Lewis for the remainder of the regular season, the options in New England are now interesting to figure out who will be the top fantasy weapons aside from Brady and Gronkowski.
Danny Amendola is expected to replace Edelman in the offense as the trustworthy receiver Brady will target many times per game. In a limited role this season, Amendola has been fairly productive and is now a must-own in all leagues. The latest report by ESPN’s Mike Reiss may put a damper on the optimism surrounding Amendola’s potential. New England is planning to “manage” Amendola’s snaps in an attempt to keep him healthy for the remainder of the season. Amendola has dealt with multiple injuries in his career and the Patriots are already short-handed so it does make sense. The Patriots beat reporter claims the team will not replace Edelman with just Amendola but rather have multiple receivers play a larger role in the offense. New England is apparently planning to play Amendola on seventy percent of snaps and that may put a lower ceiling on his production. Even with the smaller workload than hoped for, Amendola is absolutely worth picking up and starting because of how successful and efficient that offense is but may not be a great daily fantasy play.
Brandon LaFell should be the wide receiver that steps up most in the absence of Edelman. While he has been lackluster since returning from a foot injury, LaFell has shown chemistry with Brady and is now by far the best receiver on the team. Edelman was viewed as a player that would get the short yard catches and put up impressive numbers that way but he evolved into an overall great receiver. Brady treated him like a top weapon and without him; LaFell will now get those important targets. Last season, LaFell was a top thirty fantasy wide receiver and his value will become similar for the remaining games this year. He’s been slowly acclimating himself back into game shape and now he will be the top wide receiver in the most successful passing game. Start him while he's cheap in daily fantasy.
