RADIO
The New England Patriots have always played the game of football with a “next man up” mentality, but the loss of a good player is still a difficult thing to overcome. Just last week, Tom Brady was getting the ball to the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Dion Lewis and Julian Edelman. Currently, his list of top-tier targets is limited to Gronk.
The most recent injury for the Patriots came on the final play of the first quarter during the team’s Week 10 matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday and involved Tom Brady’s favorite wide receiver, Julian Edelman.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Edelman’s foot is broken. As to how long the slot receiver will be out of the starting lineup, little is known. He could be back catching passes for Brady before the season is over, but Patriots fans might also need to wait until next year to see him back in the starting lineup.--only time will tell.
This season, Edelman was on pace to catch 100 passes for upwards of 1,300 yards. In his absence, Danny Amendola was able to nab a total of 10 catches for 79 yards. With that said, there was stark contrast between the Patriots’ offense with Edelman and without him.
Earlier this season, the offense centered around Lewis and Edelman gave opponents headaches. Now, the team is substantially more limited in what it can do. Even worse, in addition to Lewis and Edelman being out, the Patriot’s top three offensive tackles were on the sidelines during Sunday’s win in New York. Their respective returns to the playing field are still uncertain.
Tom Brady was able to manufacture a late-game comeback against the Giants, but the return route to the Super Bowl just became a bit more complex. Now that Edelman is out, Brandon LaFell, Scott Chandler and Aaron Dobson will need to be pick up the slack and solidify themselves as mainstays of the Patriots’ offense until order can be restored.
While the Patriots have developed a reputation for overcoming situations like this in the past, the divisional round of the playoffs is still nine weeks away. There’s time for adjustments to be made, but both Belichick and Brady will need their best stuff to ensure complete and total domination come playoff time.
Needless to say, Brady is still the best quarterback option for fantasy owners come game time even when his receiving options are limited.
