Over the last decade, no NFL team has been as dominant and as consistently good as the New England Patriots. The Patriots have missed the playoffs once in the last ten years. They have also won their division nine of the last ten years. 2015 season was no different as the Patriots went 12-4, won their division but lost in the AFC Championship game to the Denver Broncos. Let’s look at the New England Patriots 2015 Fantasy Football recap.
New England Patriots 2015 Fantasy Football Recap
Coming into the 2015 season, quarterback Tom Brady was scheduled to miss four games due to a suspension for supposedly deflating footballs during the 2014 playoffs. Brady would have the suspension lifted by a court and played all 16 games in the season. He was a big draft bargain for anyone who had their draft before the suspension was lifted. Brady threw for 4,770 yards with 36 touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. Brady finished as the second-ranked fantasy quarterback with 335 fantasy points and averaged 21 points per game. If his receiving weapons can stay healthy he should have no problem duplicating the numbers he had in 2015. He should be targeted in the third or fourth rounds in next year’s fantasy draft.
The Patriots have a true running back by committee. Last season they had three running backs that touched the ball consistently. Each of the three running backs had close to or over 500 total yards and several touchdowns. The leader of the committee was LeGarrette Blount with 750 total yards and seven touchdowns. Blount was a little inconsistent with him coming off the field on third down and obvious passing situations. He averaged seven fantasy points per game which had him finishing as the 25th ranked running back last season. The next running back in the committee was Dion Lewis who started off the season on a hot streak but was lost to an ACL injury midway through the season. Lewis totaled 600 yards and four touchdowns in his limited action. He also averaged ten points per game before his season ending injury. The final running back who got consistent touches was James White who took over as the main receiving back after Lewis was lost to injury. White totaled 450 yards and six touchdowns, and averaged ten points per game.
With New England having a running back by committee it is difficult to say which running back will have the most value next season. Since Blount is the bigger of the three backs he will most likely have the best shot at goal line work; which will probably make him the back to target in the fifth or sixth round of your draft next season. Whoever is the third down back for New England should be drafted towards the later rounds.
New England’s leading wide receiver last season was Julian Edelman with 700 yards and seven touchdowns. Edelman’s regular season was cut short do to a foot injury against the New York Giants in the middle of the season. He would return in the playoffs and help the Patriots reach the AFC Championship game. Before his injury, Edelman averaged 12 fantasy points per game. The next leading wide receiver for the Patriots was Danny Amendola with 650 yards and three touchdowns. He was very inconsistent and only averaged five fantasy points per game and also dealt with a few injuries over the season. Edelman is worth a fourth or fifth round pick next season and is even more valuable in PPR leagues.
Tight end is the position that has the least amount of depth and is very inconsistent when it comes to producing fantasy points. New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has been one of the most dominant tight ends over the past few seasons. The main problem with Gronkowski is that he plays very physical and gets injured a lot. 2015 was the first season where he played all 16 games and totaled 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns. Gronk finished as the number one ranked tight end in the NFL with 183 fantasy points. He averaged 11 fantasy points per game in 2015. With Gronk being so dominant in the game he is the only tight end worth taking in the first round of your draft next season.
In conclusion, as long as the Patriots have Tom Brady at quarterback, they will continue to be one of the best teams in the NFL. If the Patriots skill position players can stay healthy in 2016 they should have no problem duplicating and or improving on their 2015 stats.
