The explosion of the New England Patriots’ passing attack is one of the NFL’s top headlines this year. Fueled by surprise MVP candidate Drake Maye, the Pats are slinging the ball up and down the field. New England is top 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and yards per passing attempt. But they got some bad news last week: top wide receiver Kayshon Boutte suffered a leg injury that could sideline him this week. And that means rookie Kyle Williams is in line to step up.
Can we trust the first-year wideout to fill the void Boutte left behind? Or is he best left on the bench?
Analysis
It seems that Pats’ head coach Mike Vrabel needs no excuse to gas up Williams. With Boutte likely to sit against the Bucs, Vrabel gushed about the rookie and his increased opportunity.
That’s high praise for the WR5 on the depth chart. Williams has had only six total targets this year, but he could take a leap into three-wide sets during Boutte’s absence. Mack Hollins is strictly a situational deep threat and a blocker, and doesn’t bring the down-to-down playmaking that Williams can. When you look at the college highlights from UNLV and Washington State, you can see why Vrabel is excited.
Still, Williams only has so much time to establish himself. Stefon Diggs and Pop Douglas remain the de facto top-two receivers, with Hunter Henry getting some work up the seams as well. It doesn’t leave much meat on the bone for the rook.
The verdict
If Boutte’s absence were more extended, I would be more bullish on his outlook. A chance to build a rapport with Maye and siphon more targets from the established receivers could launch him into flex or WR2 territory. But with one week at most to get established, if Boutte’s Discord server can be believed, I don’t see Williams as a reliable fantasy play in any format this week.
