Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.
Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the New England Patriots.
MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams
QUARTERBACKS
| Player | Att. | Comp. | Yards | TD | INT | Rush | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Newton | 339.2 | 217.8 | 2442.2 | 13.74 | 8.14 | 82.1 | 353 | 5.34 | 203.71 |
| Mac Jones | 203.5 | 132.3 | 1475.4 | 8.75 | 4.58 | 19.9 | 61.7 | 0.5 | 94.03 |
Cam Newton: Newton struggled as a passer in 2020 and many reasons -- return from injury, new team with unusual offseason, lack of pass-catching talent, etc. -- attributed to his woeful passing numbers. Even though 33 quarterbacks threw more touchdowns than Newton (eight) and he threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns, he also scored the 16th-most fantasy points as he rushed for 12 touchdowns.
Likely to run for fewer scores and throw for more, Newton has improved weapons in the passing game. At this point of the preseason, Newton appears to be in the driver's seat for the starting job even though Mac Jones, New England's first-round pick, has made it a real competition. If Newton struggles, however, it's possible that the Patriots make a (permanent) midseason switch to Jones.
Mac Jones: While it would be unfair to compare any quarterback to Tom Brady, Jones (like Brady) makes up for a lack of elite arm strength and mobility with quick processing ability and accuracy. It would be reasonable to assume that Jones makes some starts during the season even if he doesn't win the job outright to begin the season.
RUNNING BACKS
| Player | Att. | Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damien Harris | 216.5 | 995.9 | 5.41 | 15.9 | 127.3 | 0.6 | 156.33 |
| James White | 42.3 | 158.6 | 0.95 | 51.6 | 440.7 | 2.6 | 107.03 |
| Sony Michel | 69.7 | 299.7 | 1.74 | 6.7 | 45.1 | 0.1 | 48.87 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 56 | 243.6 | 1.4 | 5.4 | 43.1 | 0.2 | 40.97 |
| J.J. Taylor | 2.5 | 11 | 0.04 | 1.4 | 9.8 | 0 | 3.02 |
| Brandon Bolden | 1.2 | 5.2 | 0.03 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 0 | 1.84 |
Damien Harris: In terms of usage, Harris is a non-factor as a receiver (five receptions in 2020) and that likely won't change much with James White returning to Foxboro given his well-defined third-down role within the Patriots offense. The other major obstacle to Harris being a top-24 option is the presence of Cam Newton, who rushed for six times as many touchdowns as Harris (12 to two) in 2020. As long as Newton holds off Mac Jones as the starter, there is the chance/likelihood that he vultures goal-line opportunities from Harris. While the skill set is there for a breakout, he's more correctly drafted as a flex option, which matches his ADP.
James White: With Tom Brady in Tampa, White set five-year lows in targets (62), touches (84), yards from scrimmage (496) and touchdowns (three). White would likely benefit from a quarterback shift from Newton to Jones as it would likely translate into fewer QB rush attempts and more running back targets.
Rhamondre Stevenson: Stevenson's strong play -- 25/193/4 rushing in two preseason games -- could lead to the Patriots parting ways with Sony Michel. Even so, the fourth-round rookie out of Oklahoma is unlikely to carry much fantasy value in 2021 as both Harris and White will be featured more prominently even if Michel is cut/dealt.
WIDE RECEIVERS
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD | Rush | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakobi Meyers | 60.4 | 722.8 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 5.4 | 0.02 | 124.14 |
| Nelson Agholor | 47.3 | 638.6 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108.51 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 34.1 | 430.9 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73.94 |
| N'Keal Harry | 32.9 | 385.9 | 2.5 | 1 | 6 | 0.02 | 70.76 |
| Gunner Olszewski | 2.6 | 29.4 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 6.9 | 0.03 | 6.31 |
Jakobi Meyers: Meyers led the Patriots with 81 targets, 59 receptions and 729 yards in 2020. While the team added Nelson Agholor and Kendall Bourne in free agency, there's a good chance that the Meyers leads the position group in receiving once again.
Nelson Agholor: Agholor set a career high in receiving yards (896) and tied a career high in touchdowns (eight) in his lone season in Las Vegas. While I expect Meyers to continue to perform as the team's WR1, it wouldn't surprise me if Agholor came close to duplicating his 2020 numbers.
TIGHT ENDS
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD | Rush | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonnu Smith | 42 | 505.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 31.5 | 0.19 | 95.63 |
| Hunter Henry | 44.3 | 485.8 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89.93 |
| Devin Asiasi | 4.4 | 47 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 |
Jonnu Smith: One year after investing a pair of Day 2 picks at the position, the Patriots double-dipped in the free-agent tight end market with Smith and Hunter Henry. Smith scored more touchdowns in 2020 (nine including a rushing score) than he did in his first three NFL seasons combined (eight). And while he set career highs in targets (65), receptions (41) and receiving yards (448), Smith likely frustrated his fantasy managers as he was held to 20 receiving yards or less in more than half of his games last season.
Hunter Henry: Missing multiple games in four consecutive seasons including all of 2018, Henry had 60 catches on 93 targets, both of which were career highs, for 613 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. Unfortunately for both Smith and Henry, however, their individual upside may cancel each other out.
More New England Patriots pages:
- New England Patriots Mock Draft Roundup
- New England Patriots NFL Power Rankings Roundup
- New England Patriots Snap Counts
- New England Patriots Franchise Leaders
- New England Patriots Draft History
- New England Patriots Schedule
- New England Patriots Tickets
More of our content:
- 2022 NFL Mock Draft
- 2023 NFL Mock Draft
- Fantasy Football Mock Drafts
- Fantasy Football Rankings
- Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule
- Fantasy Football ADP
- NFL Power Rankings
Keep track of our site's updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) like us on Facebook and/or (3) subscribe to our newsletter.
