Michael Roberts Could Be Fantasy Football Sleeper With the Patriots

Cover Photos: Getty Images

Now that most NFL teams have reported for minicamp, fantasy football season is right around the corner. With Rob Gronkowski now retired, the New England Patriots have a glaring hole at the tight end position for the first time in a while.

After signing and subsequently releasing Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the Patriots acquired tight end Michael Roberts from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.

While Benjamin Watson was expected to be Gronkowski's replacement for the 2019 season, the veteran tight end was suspended for the first four games of the season due to a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Enter Roberts. With 13 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns in parts of two seasons, Roberts never really carved out a role for himself in Detroit. However, at 6' 5" and 265 pounds, his size and raw athleticism are likely what the Patriots hope they can turn into another red zone option for Tom Brady.

Considering that even Seferian-Jenkins got some fantasy draft hype thrown his way after signing with the Patriots, there are certainly reasons for fantasy owners to be intrigued by Roberts as well. The Patriots seem to always get production out of their tight ends. If for no other reason than the fact that the Patriots don't have a lot of other options at the position, Roberts should have ample opportunity – at least early on – to produce in New England.

While the Roberts trade doesn't necessarily impact any of the big-name fantasy tight ends, it does impact whether or not fantasy owners should feel the need to draft one of them. For those owners who believe there is more value at the top of other skill-position groups and would rather wait on a tight end, Roberts is a great sleeper-option who should be available at the back-end of upcoming fantasy drafts.

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Leo Abbe-Schneider is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Leo Abbe-Schneider also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username leoabbe2. 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.