Antonio Brown Fantasy Outlook After Signing With Patriots

Well, that was quick. Antonio Brown has signed with the New England Patriots, just five hours after his release was announced to the public. While this obviously has massive implications for the NFL, it's also incredibly impactful from a fantasy perspective.

Antonio Brown Fantasy Outlook With Patriots

Antonio Brown won't be suiting up in Week 1, but he'll be extremely valuable going forward. He was being drafted as WR9 due to uncertainty about his off-field antics and concerns about his usage in Oakland.

Now that he's with the NFL's fourth-highest scoring offense from 2018, and with arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time, Brown will be a bonafide WR1 whenever he steps on the field. Brown finished as a top-three fantasy WR in each of the last three seasons, and he should be expected to continue that level of production with Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Josh Gordon Fantasy Outlook

The addition of AB will unquestionably hurt Josh Gordon's fantasy value. Flash racked up 737 yards and four TDs in 11 games played in New England in 2018. That was particularly impressive considering Gordon had to learn the Patriots' notoriously complex offense on the fly.

While many fantasy owners were optimistic about Gordon since he has now had a full offseason with the team, Brown could really put a cap on Gordon's fantasy ceiling. It's hard to imagine Gordon being more than a WR2 at best in 2019. Of course, there's always the chance that the addition of AB will lower the amount of double teams and attention sent Gordon's way in 2019.

Julian Edelman Fantasy Outlook

Similarly, Julian Edelman's fantasy value should take a hit thanks to the AB news. Edelman is mainly valuable in PPR leagues thanks to the volume he gets from Brady, racking up 74 receptions in 12 games played in 2018.

Considering Brown has seen at least 160 targets in five of the last six seasons, it's hard to imagine Edelman's value not taking a hit.

Tom Brady Fantasy Outlook

The biggest winner of this news is unquestionably Brady. What else is new? After starting the offseason with Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett as his primary receivers, Brady now has an embarrassment of riches. He now gets to throw to AB, Gordon, Edelman and Demaryius Thomas. Conventional wisdom would suggest that puts any concerns about how Brady will fare without Rob Gronkowski to bed.

Additionally, with such a loaded skill-position group, it's hard to imagine the Patriots being as run-heavy as they were last year. New England had the third-most carries in the NFL in 2018, and an uptick in pass attempts, should be massive for Brady's value.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.