FOXBOROUGH Marquel Lee Jersey , Mass. (AP) Julian Edelman has made peace with the fact he won’t be playing football for the first four weeks of the regular season.
It won’t stop the veteran Patriots receiver from preparing like he will be on the field.
Edelman made several rounds of apologies to his team and fans following the four-game suspension handed down by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers. Now he says he plans to use what’s left of training camp to make sure his surgically repaired knee will be ready when he is able to return. The 32-year-old receiver missed the entire 2017 season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.
Working his way back has been a slow process that’s just beginning to pick up.
”It’s been a grind,” Edelman said Friday. ”You’re compounding day after day after day after day. … You’re always trying to go out and get better and I have to do a lot better. I feel like I got to get my legs under me a lot more.”
Edelman will miss a home game against Houston, trips to Jacksonville and Detroit, plus a home game against Miami.
He will be eligible to return to the active roster Oct. 1, enabling him to make his 2018 debut Oct. 4 against Indianapolis.
Part of the urgency for Edelman is fueled by changes the receiving corps has undergone since the end of last season. It will certainly have a fresh look to it when the season opens thanks to Edelman’s suspension, the free agency departure of stalwart Danny Amendola and trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams.
That is compounded even more with the uncertainty surrounding the status of Malcolm Mitchell, who has yet to participate in a full practice after spending last season on injured reserve (knee).
It’s left openings for someone to earn playing time, and the list of candidates is long.
Among those in camp looking to make the roster are Chris Hogan Kemal Ishmael Jersey , Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson and Braxton Berrios. Free agent Eric Decker signed with the team Friday following the release of Jordan Matthews earlier in the week.
Edelman said he is encouraged by the work so far from the group. He was particularly high on Patterson, a trade acquisition from Oakland.
”He’s a great guy to be around,” Edelman said. ”He works hard, he’s very athletic, and he definitely helps push the unit, so I’m happy we got him. He’s going to contribute in a whole different other way. He’s very versatile A.J. Derby Jersey , and just from his track record I’m glad we have him.”
Coach Bill Belichick also has been complimentary of the work Patterson has put in during camp.
”He has skills in offense and the kicking game in a number of different areas, return skills, coverage skills, blocking skills, catching skills,” Belichick said. ”He’s got some experience, so he’s able to utilize that. He understands his skill set and how it matches up against different types of players.”
NOTES: Friday marked Tom Brady’s 41st birthday and the team gave him a celebration on par with the one for his 40th.
There was a balloon figure version of Brady and a giant No. 12 cake. There were also birthday cards set up outside the practice field entrance for fans to sign. Fans serenaded the 19-year veteran with a rendition of ”Happy Birthday” after he took the field.
His teammates also got in on the act.
Stacking in daily fantasy football is important because when a quarterback has a huge performance there will naturally be pass catchers who also benefit.
When a QB throws for 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns, a receiver by default will rack up yardage and scores. Pairing a QB and pass catcher together increases the potential upside for a lineup because fantasy owners get double the points each time they hook up.
The high total in the Texans-Patriots game in Week 1 is likely to garner a lot of interest from daily players Terron Armstead Jersey , leaving others stacks with lower potential ownership. One such stack is the Drew Brees-Michael Thomas connection in New Orleans as the Saints host the Buccaneers. The Saints are 9 1/2-point favorites over Tampa Bay and missing one of their top running backs. And the Saints offense projects to be one of the most concentrated in the league.
Thomas is projected to have 28.3 percent target market share, the fourth highest in the league according to DailyRoto projections, following a 28.1 percent target market share in 2017. Target market share is a pass-catcher's share of all of a quarterback's targets 鈥?and it's no secret where Brees will likely throw.
Last year, the Buccaneers ranked 31st in passing defense, according to Football Outsiders' defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) statistic. Vernon Hargreaves, one of their starting corners, allowed a whopping 1.61 yards per coverage snap. It's a beatable matchup that Las Vegas sports books have factored into their wagers offered.
In the unlikely event Thomas is slowed down, it would be either due to the Bucs defense shutting him down or a dominant performance from running back Alvin Kamara 鈥?the other guy to consider stacking with Brees.
Just a season ago Tim Brown Jersey , Kamara caught more passes than any running back besides Le'Veon Bell and scored more receiving TDs than any RB not named Todd Gurley. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David graded as one of the top linebackers in coverage and the team still ranked 25th in DVOA versus RBs in coverage and allowed nearly 50 receiving yards per game (48.0) to the position.
If the Saints are up late, running out the clock with Kamara would almost surely be the game plan.
Kamara attempted 56 rushes in the first half of games last year and 64 total in the second half of games. DailyRoto's model projects him for 49.5-percent of the rushing market share, 50-percent of the rushing TD market share and over 5.0 yards per carry (YPC) which even factors in some expected regression following his 6.1 YPC last year 鈥?which tied with Barry Sanders for the third highest by a running back since the 1973 season.
Mark Ingram's four-game suspension opens up the potential for Kamara to touch the ball at least 20 times, something he didn't do at all last year.
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