The Patriots have placed second-year receiver Malcolm Mitchell on injured reserve with a designation to return. Mitchell had been sidelined with a knee injury and will now be eligible to return after eight weeks. 

This comes on the heels of New England losing Julian Edelman for the season to a torn ACL. We can expect new additions Brandin Cooks and Phillip Dorsett to step up in their stead for the defending champs this season. 

Edelman and Mitchell combined for 130 receptions, 1,507 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago. They were also targeted an average of a combined eight times per game. 

Cooks and his top-five fantasy upside will help fill the void here. And in reality, we should see him potentially challenge for 100-plus receptions this season. That makes Cooks a top-end fantasy play. With Rob Gronkowski returning from an injury-plagued 2016 campaign, he'll also see an uptick in production. 

Primarily an outside receiver as a rookie, Mitchell's absence likely won't impact Gronkowski or slot man Danny Amendola this year. It could, however, have an impact on what we see from Chris Hogan, who led the NFL with 17.9 yards per catch last season and started 14 games as a boundary receiver.