DeMario

Douglas

Douglas will finish the season with 66 catches on 87 targets for 621 yards and three touchdowns. The 24-year-old put up almost all of those numbers in the 12 games that Drake Maye played this season, totaling 52 catches for 503 yards and three touchdowns in games that Maye played in. Douglas was also second on the team with eight pass plays that went for at least 20 yards and that’s despite running almost all of his routes in the intermediate areas of the field. When you watch New England, it’s clear that Douglas is their most dynamic receiver and a talented playmaker in the open field. Another year with Drake Maye under center, and hopefully a receiving weapon on the outside to draw attention away from Douglas, could lead to a solid season that could put him on the FLEX radar in PPR formats. New England doesn’t figure to be good enough on offense for Douglas to post much more value than that despite his talent.

Douglas continued to operate in his slot role for screens, swing passes, and end-arounds. A botched first half exchange on a pitch from Drake Maye led to a fumble, but he came back the next drive to catch a 36-yard touchdown. Douglas has been a regular contributor for Drake Maye and company and should stick around as a WR4/5 heading into Week 18.

The Patriots did a good job of using Douglas creatively, throwing to him at varying depths and even involving him in the run game. Douglas nearly hauled in a diving fourth-quarter end zone target when the Patriots were in comeback mode but the replay ultimately showed him losing control of the football and the play was overturned. Hopefully, Douglas’ creative usage continues against the Chargers in Week 17, otherwise he will be forced to take on talented slot CB Ja’Sir Taylor all day long.

Douglas saved an otherwise meager fantasy day with a three-yard score on the Patriots’ penultimate drive. It was just his second touchdown of the season. Pop’s weekly floor of three to four catches is keeping him in the WR5 range, but there isn’t much ceiling to be had with the slot receiver. He has topped 62 yards once this year and is unlikely to give fantasy managers a spike week versus the Bills next Sunday.

Pop entered Sunday with a questionable designation because of an ankle issue. He was cleared ahead of kickoff, but the Pats relegated him to check-down duties for this game. Douglas has at least four catches in five straight games but has topped out at 62 receiving yards over that stretch. He will be a low-ceiling WR5/6 versus the Cardinals following New England’s Week 14 bye.

Douglas was listed as questionable for Week 13 after being limited in all three practices. He enters Sunday as a low-ceiling WR4. Inactive for the Patriots are WR K.J. Osborn, S Marte Mapu, QB Joe Milton, OG Leser Cotton, OG Tyrese Robinson, DT Jaquelin Roy, and DE Titus Leo.

Douglas was listed as questionable after getting in three limited practices this week. Douglas’s role as New England’s primary slot receiver has allowed him to hit nine PPR points four games in a row. On the other hand, his low aDOT targets don’t lend themselves to explosive plays, capping him at 11.3 fantasy points in those four contests. Douglas will remain a low-ceiling WR4/5 for his Week 13 game versus the Colts.

Douglas was limited in all three practices this week. His continued participation suggests the team is effectively managing the issue but it’s possible his post-catch abilities are mildly limited on game day. Douglas has finished between WR31-WR40 in four straight games and he must now face the Colts’ best DB, slot CB Kenny Moore II while playing through an injury.

Pop pops up on the injury report with an ankle designation ahead of Week 13’s game with the Colts. Given the early week and the fact that it’s only a limited tag, we’d expect him to be able to play. Thursday and Friday’s statuses will tell more of the score.

Douglas is the most explosive playmaker on the Patriots’ offense. Most of his catches on Sunday were slant routes where he was able to show more acceleration and athleticism than most other players on the field. However, he also lost a costly fumble as the Patriots were trying to mount a comeback. The team seems uninterested in using Douglas as a full-time receiver, keeping him on the field when they go into three-receiver sets, so that limits his upside. He’s a WR5 bench stash until they start to get him on the field more.