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Saturday update: Jones has officially been listed as questionable for Monday’s Week 7 contest against the Bears.
Friday update: Jones was limited in practice once again on Friday. He appears on track to play, but Bill Belichick will make sure to keep that as hidden as possible.
Thursday update: As we expected, Jones is the starter when healthy.
There is no QB controversy in New England. When Mac Jones is healthy enough to return to play, he’ll be the starter, per sources. @TheAthletic
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 20, 2022
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain for the last three games, but he expects to be available for their Monday Night Football game vs. the Bears this week, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. He will need to get through a week of practice to be cleared to play, but that is his trajectory at the moment.
The question now appears to be if the Patriots would like to ride the hot hand of Bailey Zappe this week. We aren’t going to get anything out of head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots beat writers aren’t allowed to report on the depth chart information they glean from practices. But, it is still expected that Jones is the starter when healthy. The team could say that they’re giving him another week, but in the end Jones is they guy by all accounts.
Fantasy football implications for Week 7
Zappe has been good in relief, but Jones appears to have a good chance to take on a Bears team with no pass rush, while the Patriots have one of the best offensive lines in the league. Whoever starts, they have some fantasy appeal this week..