2014 Review

Perceptions on a player can change so quickly as we live at a time when social media has made us turn sample sizes into massive pieces of data. After Tom Brady's two-interception, 159-yard clunker against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, several people (including me), wondered if we were starting to see a decline after Brady combined for just 791 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in his first four games.

It appears the Patriots were paying attention to the national reaction, as they seemed to get things rolling immediately after. In their final 12 regular season games on their march towards another Super Bowl, Brady threw for 3,318 yards, 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Brady had two main weapons he relied upon but they were the only two he needed. Julian Edelman's numbers weren't as great as his 105 receptions for 1,056 yards in 2013, but he still finished with an impressive 92 receptions for 972 yards in 14 games. Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski devoured his opponents to the line of 82 receptions for 1,124 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games.

We all know what happened at running back, New England seemed to try out a different running back as the "bell cow" on a weekly basis. Bill Belichick very likely smiled as he toyed with the emotions of fantasy owners on a weekly basis. A trend he might keep up this year. 

Veteran Additions

Travaris Cadet, Running Back:

After letting Vereen header for greener pay checks in New York, the Patriots went out to the bargain bin in search of a possible passing-game back to slide into Vereen's vacated role. Cadet served as the secondary receiving-back behind Pierre Thomas in New Orleans last season and saw some opportunities when Thomas was hurt. He will battle it out with second-year back James White to be on the field on third downs and in two-minute drills. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe indicated that Cadet has a "leg up" on White for the job now with training camp approaching. Things could change when the pads come on but if Cadet takes the lead role, he could be worth a flier for fantasy owners in PPR leagues.

Scott Chandler, Tight End:

Last season, Tim Wright served as the Patriots' secondary receiving tight end, going out on the field when Gronkowski needed rest or the Patriots wanted Wright's receiving ability over Michael Hoomanawanui's blocking. In that role, Wright saw 357 snaps during the regular season with 33 targets for 26 receptions, 259 yards and six touchdowns. Chandler has now replaced Wright. Chandler's got massive size at 6'7" to be a big target in the red zone for Brady to target if teams are blanketing Gronkowski. Chandler will be a limited part of this offense but could have a similar season to Wright with six-to-seven touchdowns, coming at unpredictable times.

Potential Breakout Player

None

While some have pointed towards LaFell as a potential "breakout" candidate or fantasy sleeper from this offense, it's important to realize what that would mean when looking at his numbers from last season and projecting a breakout. After setting career-highs in receptions (74), receiving yards (953) and touchdowns (seven) last season, another "breakout" would mean at least 85 receptions, over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. That would put him in 2014-Alshon Jeffery territory and that's just not a place I'm willing to go. LaFell could repeat his numbers from 2014 but expecting more is asking for a lot.

Potential Disappointment

Every Patriots' Running Back:

Another "breakout" candidate some in the fantasy industry have recommended is running back James White. With the departure of Vereen it opens up the third-down and two-minute drill role for a new back and White has certainly shown the ability to take on that role. But the problem with trusting White or any Patriots' running back for that matter is Bill Belichick.

Predicting which running back Belichick will rely on week-to-week is nearly impossible, he plugs and plays different style running backs on a weekly basis. Last season we saw Jonas Gray, LeGarrette Blount, Stevan Ridley and Vereen each had at least one game with over 100 total yards or two touchdowns. Even if their alarm clock was working and they showed up to practice on time, it was hard to predict who played the primary role each week. 

This is why the Patriots' crew of running backs comes in as a fantasy disappointment for the upcoming season. You may have Blount on your team and for the first two weeks, White has two big games. So you use your waiver claim on White and suddenly, Cadet has a big game and Blount gets the touchdowns the following week. There is just too much variability for me to trust spending a pick on a Patriots' running back.