Things were looking good for Julian Edelman this offseason. He was back from last year's torn ACL and expected to return as the No. 1 receiver for the Patriots with Brandin Cooks traded to the Rams. 

Not so fast.

While Edelman will still have that role eventually, and his knee should be fine after being out all of the 2017 campaign, he might not be on the field for the first four games of the season. According to ESPN, Edelman is facing a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. 

He is appealing the suspension, but most likely Edelman is going to miss time. That clearly changes his Fantasy outlook, but it also could help his value. 

Once Edelman gets on the field, he will return as the top slot receiver for New England and should lead the team in targets, especially with Cooks and Danny Amendola (Dolphins) gone. Tom Brady will lean on Edelman, who has averaged 9.7 targets per game from 2013-17.

Over that span, Edelman has averaged 6.5 catches for 69.6 yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game. Over 16 games, that equates to 104 catches for 1,114 yards and six touchdowns. Over 12 games, Edelman has the chance for 78 catches, 835 yards and five touchdowns.

We don't know how Edelman will look coming off the torn ACL, and he just turned 32 in May. But all the reports of his return have been glowing during OTA workouts and minicamp, which came prior to the suspension.

"Any time you get to go out and see the fellas, play with them, talk with them, be in the huddle and look at guys, and participate in drills, that's what you play the game for ultimately," Edelman said recently to the Boston Globe. "It was tough to watch it on the sidelines last year. To come out here and do little things, strap on the helmet, it put some perspective on how lucky you are to get to play the game."  

I had Edelman ranked as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver prior to this news in all formats, with his value higher in PPR. He will now get bumped down to the No. 3 receiver range, but I'm still planning to target him on Draft Day.

If the suspension is upheld, he will miss the first four games of the season, against Houston, at Jacksonville, at Detroit and home against Miami. But you're still getting him for the bulk of the season, barring injury, and he should be able to produce at an elite level once again. I'm planning to target Edelman no later than Round 7 in non-PPR leagues, and Round 5 in PPR.

His absence to start the season won't lower Tom Brady's value, and he remains a top-three quarterback on Draft Day — he was the No. 2 QB last season without Edelman. And Rob Gronkowski won't be impacted at all because he's already the No. 1 Fantasy tight end, and he's being drafted in Round 2 in all formats.

As for the other receivers in New England, this should only make Chris Hogan more attractive, and he was already going to benefit the most with Cooks gone as the main outside receiver. I like Hogan as a low-end No. 2 receiver in all leagues, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 6.

The Patriots have plenty of other receivers on the roster — Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson — but Edelman's suspension should help Jordan Matthews earn a bigger role. During his tenure in Philadelphia, he excelled playing in the slot, and he's worth drafting now as an option with a late-round pick to use during the first four games until Edelman returns.

Brady will also lean on James White, Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel out of the backfield, but just remember that it's only four games. Once Edelman is back, he'll be heavily involved, and he remains a solid Fantasy option, even with the suspension.

This wasn't the news we were hoping for Edelman heading into the season, and we'll see what happens with the appeal. But if you want to draft Edelman, you can actually use this news to your advantage, and draft him when he falls a round or two later than he was going before the suspension. He could still help your Fantasy team in a big way in 2018.