The New England Patriots lost Julian Edelman to an injury on Sunday and that makes Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell and Aaron Dobson potential fantasy football start options as replacements in Week 11. Tom Brady led the Pats to a win to stay undefeated at 9-0 and the team will next take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday night football at home.
The Patriots had already lost Dion Lewis to an injury heading into Sunday and now Edelman will be out for a stretch with a broken bone in his foot. According to NFL.com, Albert Breer reports that Edelman had surgery on Monday and had a screw inserted into his foot and now will miss between 6 to 8 weeks. That recovery timeline gives Edelman the chance to come back by the end of the season or the playoffs and that is a positive development for the Patriots moving forward.
The team basically has the division title locked up and that could take pressure off of Edelman to return in six weeks. Dez Bryant suffered a similar injury and was able to return in six weeks and if the Patriots clinch the division and get a bye in the playoffs, it would allow Edelman even more time to recover. Edelman has been the most targeted receiver for the Pats this season and he has put up strong numbers with 61 catches for 692 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games.
Tom Brady and the Patriots have often pushed the "next man up" mentality when injuries happen, but even Brady admitted that Edelman is not so easy to replace. Brady spoke on WEEI and said "it's not like you go, 'OK, well, let just put someone else in.' He's too good of a player for that" and now it's likely that Danny Amendola will step up into a bigger role along with Brandon LaFell. Amendola played a big role on Sunday and the loss of Edelman also could mean Aaron Dobson gets more snaps on offense behind LaFell.
Amendola had 10 catches for 79 yards in the game against the Giants and he also helped set up the winning field goal on the final drive. Amendola set a season high with 10 catches and he made an impact in the return game with a long punt return that almost went for a touchdown. Amendola has 40 catches this season and he has already doubled his numbers from last year and now has the chance to step up for the final stretch of the season for the Patriots. With Lewis out, James White and LeGarrette Blount are the best RB options for fantasy owners.
The Patriots have had Nate Solder out with a torn bicep and the offensive lineman announced this week that his son is dealing with kidney cancer. According to the Boston Herald, Solder said that his infant son Hudson was diagnosed last month and that he has undergone treatment to help fight a tumor. Solder has dealt with testicular cancer in the past.