Stefon Diggs only appeared in eight games for the Houston Texans last season before tearing his ACL against the Colts in October. He became a free agent this offseason and signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Patriots in March.
Diggs is a big addition to a WR room that was arguably one of the worst in the NFL a season ago. DeMario Douglas led all wideouts on the team with 621 receiving yards, while it was TE Hunter Henry who led the team in receiving with 674. New England was in desperate need of a WR1, and they will hope to have that in Diggs.
The biggest question going into this year is his knee, and if he can be the same dynamic receiver after the injury. The good news is that he did return to practice for the start of training camp, so all signs point to him being a full go for Week 1.
In terms of his outlook for fantasy football, I think Diggs will take a step back in this offense. He had Josh Allen in Buffalo in 2023, and then C. J. Stroud as his QB in Houston. Drake Maye showed flashes in his rookie season, but whether or not he can get to the level of Allen and Stroud still remains to be seen. The Patriots were dead last a season ago in passing yards per game with only an average of 176.2. Yes, Diggs will be the clear-cut number one option for Maye, but can he thrive in fantasy football in this environment?
In the eight games he did play a season ago, he showed he can still be effective. He ranked 22nd in FPTS per game for wide receivers on DraftKings with 15.2. The leading receiver a year ago for the Patriots finished as WR48 in DraftKings fantasy scoring, so that does not bode well for Diggs. Granted, Diggs is a much more accomplished receiver than Douglas, but it’s just not a fantasy football-friendly environment in New England at the moment.
The team did add some playmakers in the draft, such as TreVeyon Henderson and Kyle Williams, so hopefully that can open things up for Diggs to see less coverage. Drake Maye is also more than capable of making a big sophomore jump, which would also help Diggs produce in fantasy.
These are all hypotheticals, however. The reality is that Diggs is coming off a serious injury and into an offense that is far from ideal for fantasy football owners. I think this move to the Patriots can only hurt his stock.
