NFL

Gibson out-gained Rhamondre Stevenson for the second consecutive week, though most of his “production” came in garbage time. It’s still something to keep an eye on as a desperate team searches for offense. Stevenson also lost a fumble this evening. Maybe Gibson will eventually hurt his backfield mate, but he’s unlikely to generate real FLEX value of his own.

Polk has now been held to three targets or fewer in each of his first three NFL contests, totaling 31 yards in the process. He won’t be worth revisiting in fantasy until the Patriots make the switch from Jacoby Brissett to Drake Maye. Admittedly, that could be soon.

Getting “Pop” more involved was about the only thing that went right for the Pats on offense. His nine targets tripled his 2024 total coming into this evening. Coach Jerod Mayo had called it a priority. Now the question is already becoming who will be targeting Douglas going forward after Drake Maye got an exploratory look the final four and a half minutes. Jacoby Brissett will presumably be out there for Week 4 against the 49ers, but the change is coming. Maye would almost certainly enhance Douglas’ WR4/5 fortunes.

So much for that. Henry’s 8/109 Week 2 blowup had all the makings of a fluke, though 2/9 four days later is a bit excessive. It’s not all Henry’s fault, as Jacoby Brissett and the Pats’ shoddy blocking never gave the offense a chance in a game where they churned up only 11 first downs. The Pats badly need Henry’s experience and red-zone frame, but it wouldn’t be wise to again jam him into the top 15-16 for Week 4 against the 49ers.

Williams has now gone from zero targets to one to four. His missed connection was a third down end zone shot. Better days could be ahead, though this is a run-based offense still establishing its passing game targets tree. It could be a while before Williams pushes for every-week WR4 consideration.

Rather amazingly, Lazard is now the first player to reach three receiving scores this season. He’ll be joined by several others this weekend, but it’s a reminder this is a different player with Aaron Rodgers at the controls. That being said, Lazard still has just 16 targets in three games, including only seven over the past two. Realistically, he’s not pushing for WR4 value despite the end zone looks.

Just as TE2 desperados were starting to give up hope, Aaron Rodgers finally remembered he had a tight end, turning Conklin into his leading receiver on the night. In a game where Rodgers found six pass catchers for at least three receptions, Conklin was the only one to clear 50 yards. It confirms Conklin is worth keeping around in deeper leagues as a TE2 bench option, though the reality remains he has 10 targets in three games. We need to see more before considering Conklin anything more than a streamer dart throw.

Allen actually out-rushed Breece Hall even as Hall out-touched him 20-14. Eye-brow raising stuff, though this was not a competitive game even if 24-3 doesn’t read like a true blowout. The Pats generated only 11 first downs, never putting any pressure on the Jets. That allowed them to do basically whatever they wanted on offense, and one of the things they’ve wanted the past two weeks is for Allen to find his NFL sea legs. It’s a moderate concern for Hall, though we doubt Allen is going to see this much work in more competitive contests. Of course, Week 4 against the Broncos could be another easily-controlled affair. Allen could offer desperation FLEX appeal for that one.

Hall has now reached 20 touches and found the end zone in all three of his appearances so far this season. He hasn’t been very efficient in the process, while fantasy managers are undoubtedly nervous about Braelon Allen’s usage, but Hall is getting elite RB1 handles. Those should quickly give way to elite RB1 returns, especially since Aaron Rodgers has looked better each week. Allen, who notched 14 touches of his own this evening, isn’t going to go away, but this backfield is big enough for two runners considering the Jets’ pass-catching limitations. The Broncos are on tap for Week 4.

Stevenson also lost a fumble, letting the ball get ripped away early in the fourth quarter. With Jacoby Brissett going all the way off the rails this evening, Stevenson was not targeted in the passing game. Bleak. Things probably won’t get much better on the road in Week 4 against the 49ers, though there’s no way coach Jerod Mayo will allow Stevenson to see only six touches again. Like every other Pat, Stevenson is on Drake Maye watch at this point. He’ll be a lower-end RB2 in 10 days’ time.