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DeVante Parker and the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 of the NFL season. How should Parker impact the Patriots’ passing game against one of the best secondaries in football?
Fantasy Football analysis: New England Patriots WR DeVante Parker
Parker finished the 2022 season with 539 yards and three touchdowns in his first in New England. The Patriots offense and Mac Jones remain unproven. They fell in the bottom half of the league in total passing yardage with 3,815, and started shifting their offensive focus more around the ground game.
Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?
NO. Parker is dealing with a minor knee injury, but it isn’t considered serious. However, he’s going against the strong defense and doesn’t look to be highly regarded in this offense at the moment. The Patriots also have an array of wide receivers with the similar styles, which leaves uncertainty over who will step up and be the go-to target. Parker has some work to do if he’s going to be that guy. He could be a desperation WR3 option in 12 or 14 team leagues.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?
NO. Parker is the WR2 in an offense that flows mostly by the backfield. He isn’t start-worthy until we see an uptick in targets and usage.
Players you would start ahead of Devante Parker
Parker currently projects outside the top 125 for WRs in Week 1 against the Eagles.
Las Vegas Raiders speedster Hunter Renfrow, New Orleans Saints WR Rashid Shaheed or even Carolina Panthers rookie Jonathan Mingo are a few receiver options to consider in place of Parker that might be available in your league if you are truly bereft of a WR2/3.