Aaron

Hernandez

Hernandez was quiet early before exploding in the second half as Miami defenders started cramping up. New England ran two-tight end sets throughout. Hernandez was second on the team with 10 targets, behind only Wes Welker. His touchdown was a 1-yard reception that came a play after he reeled in a 30-yard pass. Both Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have the potential to put up TE1 numbers.

The Pats have been doing this since early last season, allowing Brady to exploit the best possible matchup. More and more, that matchup favors Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski. As Profootballtalk’s Gregg Rosenthal pointed out Tuesday, the two tight ends are essentially Brady’s No. 2 and No. 3 receivers with Deion Branch as the fourth option. Hernandez and Gronk are both top-six NFL tight ends as well as TE1s for fantasy purposes.

The only time Gronkowski came off the field was when the Patriots went three-wide with Aaron Hernandez as the lone tight end. Gronk is an every down player, elite red-zone target and still getting better. Both he and Hernandez (66 snaps) can be treated as TE1s with upside going forward as the second and third options in the Patriots’ potent passing game.

Hernandez left yesterday’s game with 11:41 remaining and was observed limping badly as he exited the locker room. He simply admitted that he was sore. However, the fact that the secretive Patriots let Hernandez speak to reporters probably indicates his injury isn’t serious. We’ll know more on Wednesday when the Pats begin preparations for the Bills.

Hernandez played through the injury for a handful of snaps before departing Sunday, so it’s entirely possible he’ll end up missing only one game. New England’s co-TE1 has already been targeted 18 times. Rob Gronkowski, who has drawn 13 targets of his own and scored three TDs, could be fantasy’s No. 1 overall tight end while his teammate is sidelined. The Pats visit the Bills in Week 3.

CSNNE beat writer Tom Curran says the injury could sideline Hernandez “for at least a month” and “as long as six weeks.” The Patriots don’t discuss injury situations with the public, so Hernandez’s precise return timetable is going to be a guessing game for awhile. In the meantime, Rob Gronkowski could push to become the top tight end in all of fantasy football.

The extent of the injury is unknown, and the Patriots’ secretiveness about these kinds of situations won’t help. During the game, Hernandez’s return was officially announced as “probable.” He never went back in. It’s possible that he’s already dealing with swelling, or just in a lot of pain after a sprain. Either way, Hernandez’s status for Week 3 against the Bills is uncertain.

Hernandez stated early in the week that he expected to play against the Raiders, but he never got cleared for practice. He’ll now target a Week 5 return.

Officially questionable, Hernandez’s status could come down to how he looks in pre-game warmups. The general consensus during the week was that he would play. New England does not take the field until 4:15 ET, however, so you will likely have to make a decision about sitting or starting him with incomplete information. Coming off a nearly three-week absence, he’s not the strongest start against a stout Jets’ pass defense, especially with fellow TE Rob Gronkowski at 100 percent health.

It sounds like Hernandez will be eased back in after a two-week layoff. CSN New England’s Tom Curran has insisted all along that Hernandez’s MCL injury was a 4-6 week situation, so it’d probably be unfair to expect Hernandez to be a full-time player in just the third week. Chris Wesseling and Gregg Rosenthal have Hernandez ranked 12th among Week 5 tight end plays. Hernandez will be a locked-in top-ten option once he proves his health in games.