Player Outlook
Rob Gronkowski partied like he won Super Bowl 51, but he was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Patriots beat the Falcons because of a back injury that sent him to injured reserve in Week 11. It shows how good Gronkowski is that he appeared in eight games (only six of those with Tom Brady because of his suspension) and still finished as the No. 20 Fantasy tight end in standard leagues with 25 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns on 38 targets. Gronkowski hasn't played 16 games since 2011, but he has two seasons with 15 games over that span. You hope he plays at least 13 games because when he's healthy he's easily the best Fantasy tight end in any format. Deemed healthy at the start of training camp by coach Bill Belichick, Gronkowski is worth drafting toward the end of Round 2 in all leagues.
Player News
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Gronkowski logged 15 snaps in Saturday's preseason game against Houston, marking his first action in an exhibition contest since 2012, Phil Perry of CSN New England reports. Bouncing back from a major injury the previous year is nothing new for Gronkowski, who has been a full participant dating back to the start of the offseason program, despite having the third back surgery of his career in December. With decreased training camp and preseason workloads failing to result in healthy campaigns the past years, the Patriots apparently have decided to keep their star tight end a bit more active in the lead-up to a season that comes with even higher expectations than usual. Gronkowski could see more work in the third week of the preseason, but it's safe to assume he'll be held out in the fourth and final game.
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Gronkowski will play in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports. Gronkowski hasn't participated in the preseason since 2012, so this is a sign the behemoth tight end has truly returned to full health. He probably won't see more than a drive to two, though, before making way for Dwayne Allen, James O'Shaughnessy and Jacob Hollister.
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Gronkowski isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports. There's nothing to be alarmed about here, as Gronkowski being held out of preseason games has become routine. Keeping their star tight end healthy is a priority for the Patriots and there's little upside to exposing Gronkowski to unnecessary injury risk in exhibition games.
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Gronkowski isn't expected to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Jaguars, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports. That's nothing unusual, as the Patriots have typically avoided exposing their star tight end to injury during preseason tilts. On the plus side, Gronkowski has been looking good in training camp, plus he's been paying more attention to his diet and tweaked his training routine this offseason, Phil Perry of CSN New England reports. Gronkowski is no stranger to injuries, which represents the only real blemish on his fantasy profile, but per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, our No. 1 ranked tight end hopes that his amended training techniques will help prevent avoidable health issues at this stage of his career.
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Coach Bill Belichick said Gronkowski shouldn't have any limitations during training camp, ESPN.com's Mike Reiss reports. Gronkowski was medically cleared from last year's back surgery prior to the start of the offseason program and didn't miss any practices at OTAs or minicamp. The Patriots may limit his training camp reps to ensure he stays healthy, but there's been nothing to suggest he won't participate this weekend when practices in full pads begin.
Recent Tweets
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6:57 pm ET / @MikeReissMike Reiss
Capped off Bill Belichick presser with question probably never asked again: "Are you an eclipse guy?" He smiles/shrugs. "Yeah. It's great."
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6:24 pm ET / @KevinRDuffyKevin Duffy
Patriots roster projection: Where do Kony Ealy, Cyrus Jones, Elandon Roberts, others stand? https://t.co/neSufZvN5T
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2:05 pm ET / @KevinRDuffy
Kevin Duffy
Latest Patriots roster projection: Where do Cyrus Jones, Kony Ealy, Elandon Roberts stand? https://t.co/go3nmuCM4z
Completed Games
| WK | OPP | TAR | RECPT | REYD | REAVG | RETD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *1 | @ARI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *2 | MIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | HOU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | BUF | 2 | 1 | 11 | 11.00 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | @CLE | 7 | 5 | 109 | 21.80 | 0 | 10 |
| 6 | CIN | 9 | 7 | 162 | 23.14 | 1 | 22 |
| 7 | @PIT | 4 | 4 | 93 | 23.25 | 1 | 15 |
| 8 | @BUF | 7 | 5 | 109 | 21.80 | 1 | 16 |
| 9 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | SEA | 6 | 3 | 56 | 18.67 | 0 | 5 |
| *11 | @SF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | @NYJ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *13 | LAR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *14 | BAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *15 | @DEN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *16 | NYJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *17 | @MIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PROJECTION | 104 | 65 | 911 | 14.02 | 7.5 | 127 | |
| * indicates player did not play that week | |||||||
Scheduled Games
| WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK | OPP FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09/08 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 5.41 |
| 2 | 09/17 | @New Orleans Saints | 16 | 6.88 |
| 3 | 09/24 | Houston Texans | 3 | 4.00 |
| 4 | 10/01 | Carolina Panthers | 31 | 10.00 |
| 5 | 10/06 | @Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10 | 6.13 |
| 6 | 10/15 | @New York Jets | 27 | 8.75 |
| 7 | 10/23 | Atlanta Falcons | 29 | 9.37 |
| 8 | 10/29 | Los Angeles Chargers | 14 | 6.50 |
| 9 | BYE | - | - | - |
| 10 | 11/13 | @Denver Broncos | 15 | 6.63 |
| 11 | 11/19 | @Oakland Raiders | 25 | 8.47 |
| 12 | 11/26 | Miami Dolphins | 26 | 8.65 |
| 13 | 12/03 | @Buffalo Bills | 5 | 5.13 |
| 14 | 12/12 | @Miami Dolphins | 26 | 8.65 |
| 15 | 12/17 | @Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | 6.89 |
| 16 | 12/24 | Buffalo Bills | 5 | 5.13 |
| 17 | 12/31 | New York Jets | 27 | 8.75 |
Team Trends
Career Stats
| Season | Tar | Recpt | ReYd | ReTD | ReFD | ReAvg | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 38 | 25 | 540 | 3 | 19 | 21.60 | 72 |
| 2015 | 120 | 72 | 1176 | 11 | 52 | 16.33 | 183 |
| 2014 | 130 | 82 | 1124 | 12 | 60 | 13.71 | 184 |
| 2013 | 67 | 39 | 592 | 4 | 31 | 15.18 | 83 |
| 2012 | 79 | 55 | 790 | 11 | 45 | 14.36 | 145 |
| 2011 | 124 | 90 | 1327 | 17 | 69 | 14.74 | 240 |
| 2010 | 59 | 42 | 546 | 10 | 30 | 13.00 | 114 |
| 3 Year Avg | 96 | 60 | 947 | 9 | 44 | 15.78 | 148 |
| Career | 1197 | 405 | 6095 | 68 | 306 | 15.05 |