Tag: Hunter Henry

Studs and duds in Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to Commanders

Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to the Commanders?

Not even a Week 9 matchup with the struggling Washington Commanders could save the New England Patriots from falling to 2-7 on the season.

It’s shocking to think this is the same Patriots team that somehow knocked off the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. The team that beat the Bills must have somehow caught lightning in a bottle because the version that showed up on Sunday looked terrible on all levels.

Offense, defense and special teams—it was all bad for the Patriots.

They had an opportunity to save the game late, but a pass from quarterback Mac Jones bobbled off of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hands and turned into an interception for the Commanders to close out the game.

It was a completely fitting ending for this version of the Patriots. Here are the studs and duds from the game for New England after their 20-17 loss to the Commanders:

WATCH: Patriots cash in on turnover with Mac Jones-Hunter Henry touchdown

The Mac Jones and Hunter Henry touchdown connection is back on.

The New England Patriots were having trouble getting things going early on Sunday offensively. However, a defensive play by linebacker Jahlani Tavai sparked a Patriots touchdown.

Tavai executed a beautiful strip of the football at the midway point in the second quarter. It was recovered by New England and led to seven points. The touchdown came courtesy of a Mac Jones-Hunter Henry connection and shrunk the Washington lead to 10-7.

It was Henry’s third touchdown of the season and Jones’ 10th touchdown of the year. The play breathed life in the New England offense, which had been stagnant up to that point.

One touchdown is not going to win this game for New England. However, it’s certainly a strong starting point.

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5 Patriots to watch in Week 9 vs. Commanders

5 Patriots to watch for this weekend’s game vs. the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders (3-5) have had an interesting week. On Tuesday, Washington traded starting defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline. Losing two notable starters would lead one to believe the Commanders were punting on the remainder of this season. That’s not the case, as head coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Sam Howell believe this team is still capable of making a playoff push.

Next up for the Commanders are the New England Patriots (2-6). These arent the same Patriots Washington will remember from 2019. Yes, legendary coach Bill Belichick is still on the sidelines, but quarterback Tom Brady is long gone. This New England team is struggling while still trying to find an identity.

But Washington hasn’t beaten the Patriots since 2003 — when Steve Spurrier was head coach. And there have been some ugly losses over the years.

As the Commanders prepare for Week 9, here are five Patriots you should get to know ahead of Sunday.

The best fantasy football gamble of Week 9

Will this once-vaunted TE rise from the ashes to contribute line lineups this week?

Every week, at least one player becomes my fascination of whether he’s worthy of a fantasy football start as a streamer. The decision can be a mental wrestling match, but for the purpose of brevity, only one player can be chosen as my favorite fantasy football gamble of the week.

The players chosen in this series are meant to be fliers for fantasy owners in desperate situations or willing to take an intentional risk. No player is intended to be a lineup lock for guaranteed results, hence the name of the series.

The best fantasy football gamble for Week 9

Tracking my 2023 predictions: 1-7-0
All-time record: 19-38-3

Win: Player produces ≥ 75% of projected fantasy points
Loss: Player produces >75% of projected fantasy points
Tie: Player is ejected, leaves with an injury, or is ruled out after publishing

This year, we’ll also track the accuracy on a percentage basis to show relative results, since sometimes calling a player a loss doesn’t actually hurt gamers. An example would be if a projection narrowly falls short of the 75 percent threshold, the player is still of use in a lineup.

Wk 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
% 55 74.7 41.7 20.8 150.3 66.5 16.1 25.5
Grade E C F- F- A+ D F- F-

This train wreck continues … the absolute worst part of it for me has been two of the last three weeks I simply chose the wrong player. In Week 6, I strongly debated taking Tyler Boyd, and last week I stupidly ignored my gut and took Jamaal Williams over Gabe Davis. So, let’s see if I can pick the right guy (Royce Freeman is my other strong lean) and put another W on the board …

New England Patriots TE Hunter Henry vs. Washington Commanders

I fully recognize this one is about as risky as they come, and it doesn’t do me any favors from the W-L perspective, because the odds definitely are stacked against this one coming to fruition.

Henry has not topped 9.1 PPR points or scored since Week 2, and the former Los Angeles Charger has no more than three targets in the last month of play. The chemistry with Mac Jones just hasn’t been there, and that’s a major concern in this recommendation.

However, necessity is the mother of invention, and the idea here is the loss of wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) as well as the utter void of connection between Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Patriots are desperately in need of someone to step up in the passing game, so there’s a clear path to an increased target share for Henry.

Washington has totally flopped vs. the position in the last month. This matchup rates in the top eight for receptions and yardage per game as well as ease of TDs in relation to catches allowed since Week 3. Tight ends have averaged 5.8 receptions, 59.8 yards, and a TD every 7.3 grabs, good for 16.6 PPR points an outing. Only three teams have allowed more fantasy points per game in both primary scoring systems, and this is the fourth-most efficient matchup of the week.

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All four of the TDs against Washington have come in the last four weeks. In that time, Cole Kmet, Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, and Darren Waller all posted at least 136 PPR points, with the New York Giant finishing with 22.8 as the high-water mark. Washington presents a matchup rating that is 66.7% higher than the league average in the last three weeks and 31.7% better in the most recent five games.

Henry isn’t going to be a volume guy in this one, but he certainly could tack on another touchdown to that list, and a pair of scores isn’t out of reach. Play him if you’re backed into a corner, but this likely will be an all-or-nothing result.

My projection: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD (15.8 PPR points)

10 highest-graded players for Patriots offense vs Dolphins, per PFF

PFF’s top-10 offensive players for the Patriots in loss to the Dolphins

It was back to reality for the New England Patriots’ sputtering offense in their Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The pass protection up front was iffy at best, the run game never got going, receivers couldn’t get open and quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over.

Rinse, wash and repeat.

No offensive player outside of tight end Pharaoh Brown was given over a 70.0 grade by Pro Football Focus. It didn’t help matters that two of the team’s top receivers, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, both went down with injuries.

Bourne, who led the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while Parker is in concussion protocol. Those injuries create even bigger questions for the Patriots moving forward this season.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for New England, per PFF, in the loss to the Dolphins.

4 players Chargers should trade for ahead of NFL trade deadline

Here are four names that could fit the bill for the Chargers as the trade deadline nears.

The NFL trade deadline is close.

Sitting at 3-4 and still in a spot to make a playoff run, the Chargers could afford to add some reinforcements at positions of need.

With that said, each Chargers Wire writer laid out a player that Los Angeles should look to inquire about.

10 highest-graded players for Patriots offense vs Bills, per PFF

Some unexpected names topped the list of offensive standouts for the Patriots in their Week 7 win over the Bills

The New England Patriots offense came off of life support on Sunday and helped hand the Buffalo Bills a shocking 29-25 loss.

This wasn’t a game where the unit needed to be bailed out by the defense, either. With less than two minutes to go in the game, quarterback Mac Jones led the offense on an eight-play, 75-yard game-winning drive to put Josh Allen and the Bills away.

There was plenty to like from the performance, including the emergence of rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas, who routinely made plays as a runner, receiver and return man.

Kendrick Bourne continued to serve as a reliable receiving target for Jones, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson finally got going. But most importantly, the offensive line finally showed some fight after collapsing like a paper house in a thunderstorm in their previous three games.

Here are the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for the Patriots in Week 7, per Pro Football Focus.

NFL trade deadline: 6 players 49ers should look to acquire

6 players the #49ers should kick tires on at the trade deadline:

A team as loaded as the 49ers might be all done dealing ahead of the NFL trade deadline. They added defensive end Randy Gregory from the Broncos and look mostly set up and down the roster.

Typically a team like that would be a prime candidate to lay low at the deadline, especially considering how expensive the roster already is. With a league-high $39,962,048 in cap space and an abundance of draft capital though, San Francisco could be players for virtually any player that hits the trade market.

We ran through some of the players that may potentially be available and picked out six that the 49ers should at the very least kick tires on before the October 31 deadline:

Studs and duds in Patriots’ shocking shutout loss vs Saints at Gillette Stadium

Who were the Patriots’ studs and duds in Week 5?

The hole got even deeper for the New England Patriots on Sunday, as they were served up an embarrassing 34-0 shutout loss on their home field by the New Orleans Saints.

There will be plenty of discussion on who deserves the most blame for the Patriots’ current predicament. They are sitting at 1-4 on the season with hardly a fighting chance left in the AFC East division.

When it comes to Sunday’s game specifically, every Patriots player and coach deserves some blame for what was one of the worst losses in the history of a Bill Belichick-coached team. So don’t be surprised if today’s list is a bit light in the stud department.

Here are the Patriots’ Week 5 studs and duds:

Fantasy football start ’em, sit’ em: Week 5

Check out these starts and sits for fantasy football in Week 5.

In the blink of an eye, we’re already in Week 5 of the season. As we get into the heart of the fantasy football campaign, this is when managers truly find ways to separate themselves.

As if making start/sit decisions wasn’t difficult enough, this is the first week introducing byes into the mix. Teams on a bye in Week 5 include the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11) or check out our player projections for Week 5: