Who is the New England Patriots quarterback? Does it matter for sixth-round rookie Demario “Pop” Douglas and his dynasty outlook? Situation plays a part, but in the grand scheme of things, Douglas is due for an upgrade and could be one of the sneakier trade targets this offseason.
Demario “Pop” Douglas Dynasty Outlook
Demario Douglas Fantasy Football History
As a rookie, Douglas has a short and sweet history. He was a relatively unknown player at Liberty aside from being an All-American returner as a redshirt freshman. He led the Flames in receiving both in 2021 and 2022 before declaring for the draft. The Patriots selected Douglas with the 210th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, where he was the 28th receiver selected.
While he was one of the last receivers selected, through twelve weeks of the regular season Douglas is currently ninth in receiving yards per game among all rookie receivers. Unfortunately, it hasn’t resulted in fantasy points yet, as he’s the WR60 in PPR. He’s had three straight games of ten or more fantasy points, and that’s with some atrocious quarterback play. If we had to redraft the 2023 rookies, he would comfortably be a riser in the rankings.
Pop Douglas Situation Moving Forward
Individual talent aside, Douglas is in a pretty solid situation looking forward. The organization doesn’t have a lot of options in the 2023 free agency class and project to have a high enough pick to upgrade at quarterback. If the team adds Caleb Williams or Drake Maye (top of the 2024 rookie rankings right now) his dynasty outlook is much brighter. They’ll likely add another receiver or two in the draft, but Douglas is talented enough that he will be the number two option on the team at worst moving forward.
Current Price
Douglas is the WR52 on keeptradecut (KTC) as of November 30th. He’s a steady riser over the season and will trend up as buzz grows around the team selecting a quarterback. Tyler Lockett, a 2025 late second and Kendre Miller are all around the same value on the site today.
What to do With Demario “Pop” Douglas in Dynasty
His talent pops on tape, and it’s apparent that he will be a part of this offense moving forward. As a player, Douglas is the kind that will show up on fantasy radars on and off for the next few seasons as almost a quarter of his receptions (36) have gone for 20+ yards (8). He’s a big play threat that has the juice New England sorely needs, and if his price dips he will be a buy in almost every format. Unfortunately, the rest of the season looks bleak for Douglas, and I expect his price to drop in the last bit of the season before rising after a new quarterback is drafted.
Rebuilding
As always, it won’t just be a generic “buy this player” or “sell this player”. The state of a dynasty manager’s team matters just as much as the player. On a rebuilding team, he’s firmly a hold or a sell for a second-round pick if you can do it. The 2025 second round pick that is adjacent to him in KTC is only going to increase in value. Conversely, if a rebuild still has Tyler Lockett, James Conner or Deandre Hopkins on it, Douglas is a better long-term gamble than those players and a deal makes sense for both sides.
Stuck in the Middle
Douglas is going to generate a lot of interest in the offseason, and unless you can garner a second-round pick, he’s a hold. Middle of the pack teams likely won’t be able to sell him for a piece that will be valuable enough to launch to a competitive status, so either sell for a pick or hold.
Competitors
Douglas likely isn’t cracking a lot of competing team’s lineups, but he can be flipped for players that can. Lockett is criminally undervalued for competing teams,. If a competing team needs an upgrade at WR3, Lockett is the perfect trade target. Honestly, Hopkins has a good matchup Week 14 and 16 and might be worth trading for as well. Bottom line, Douglas isn’t the missing piece to a championship. But he might help you buy an upgrade at a WR3 or FLEX spot. Sell him before it gets any worse in New England, or stash him on your bench until 2024 rolls around.
Main Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
