Danny Amendola won’t be making the trip to Denver for the New England Patriot’s Sunday night game against the Broncos, according to CSN.
The wide receiver worked out Saturday morning and his knee simply wouldn’t hold up. Amendola will now be on the long list of play-makers that will be out for the defending Super Bowl champions. Julian Edelman won’t be on the field either because of a broken foot, which opens the door for more receivers to become fantasy stars overnight. It would have been Aaron Dobson's time to shine, but he also left the Monday's game early with an ankle injury and has since been placed on IR. The Pats will likely rely heavily on Rob Grownkowski as a pass-catching tight end, LaGarrette Blount as a running back and James White coming out of the backfield. White was the fantasy surprise during the Week 11 when he ran the ball for 14 yards on two carries for a touchdown. He caught two passes for 32 yards and a receiving touchdown as well in the victory over the Buffalo Bills. A lot of attention of going to be in the direction of Grownkowski and the runners, which will leave plenty of opportunities for these receivers that fantasy owners might not even ever heard of.
Keshawn Martin is listed as questionable with a hamstring issue, but will likely be the go-to receiver if there is one for Tom Brady on Sunday night. The former Houston Texans receiver does have a touchdown this season and six catches. Martin hasn’t been part of the offense since Week 6. He does have some big-play ability, which could help him sneak in some yards and maybe even a long touchdown. Chris Harper should have a legit role as well. He replaced Amendola after he suffered the knee injury although he still didn’t have a catch and hasn’t caught a pass this season. Unfortunately for these wide receivers and any others that dress, they have to play against the best passing defense in NFL. The Broncos have allowed one passing touchdown all season and it came back in Week 4. Opponents have only eclipsed 200 yards once this season and that was also during the Week 4 win against the Minnesota Vikings. If you’re desperate for a starter and might need somebody because of game-time decisions on some of your other options, you might have to start Martin or Harper. It’s a coin toss with the way the Patriots’ offense is run. You can’t expect much production from any of these wide outs, but you never know.