The New England Patriots have a number of fantasy football options in 2014 at WR and Danny Amendola could be the best pick if he stays healthy, while players like Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman, Kenbrell Thompkins, Aaron Dobson as well as Rob Gronkowski at tight end could be potential stars, especially in PPR leagues since the Pats pass so much.
Amendola was considered to be the top receiver for the Patriots last season, but he could not stay healthy and that allowed Edelman to step up. Those two players are ones to watch heading into the season and Edelman could be in line to have a great year once again after leading the team with 105 catches and 151 targets last season. Edelman had over 1,000 yards and also had six touchdowns and he could be a WR1 pick in fantasy this season along with Amendola.
Amendola and his season may rest on whether he can stay healthy or not, as he was not able to do that last season and ended up with 54 catches for 633 yards. The team wants more out of him and he could be beaten out by one of the young players or LaFell, who signed this offseason as a free agent. Aaron Dobson was impressive as a rookie and had 37 catches for 519 yards, while Kenbrell Thompkins also was right there with 32 catches for 466 yards.
The Patriots running backs in Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley are also options for fantasy owners, as Vereen was injured last season and now could be a huge sleeper. Vereen catches balls out of the backfield and he is an efficient runner and if he stays healthy this year, he could be one of the most valuable fantasy football picks this year. Ridley had his issues last season with fumbling and he could get his job back as long as he performs well after leading the team with 773 yards on the ground last season.
The Patriots come into the season with high expectations once again and they have added LaFell to the mix of receivers, which includes a number of young players and veterans like Amendola and Edelman. The running backs also should be in the mix and Vereen made an impact while playing in a limited amount of games, making 47 catches for 427 yards and if he stays healthy, he could be at 70 catches depending on how the Patriots use him.
The health of Gronk likely will dictate what happens with the WRs, as they will get plenty more opportunities and targets if he misses time. Brady needs Gronk to get back into the mix and he had four touchdowns last season and 39 catches while missing time. Gronk could be the factor that pulls all of this together and the Patriots are hoping he can stay healthy.
