The Patriots made a big splash on Tuesday evening by signing Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract. That’s a lot of cash to pony up for a 31-year-old WR coming off a torn ACL, but Diggs is reportedly “on track” to play in Week 1, and New England needed WR help in the worst way. Let’s dive into what this means for fantasy.
STEFON DIGGS
- Diggs was quietly the WR8 in PPR scoring in Weeks 1-8 last year (WR15 on a per-game basis) before his season-ending ACL tear, though it’s worth mentioning that three of those games came without Nico Collins (but Diggs’ production sans Collins wasn’t anything world-shattering). Diggs managed a 23% target share and 0.25 targets per route run in his age-30 season, still earning targets at a high rate, and his 7.8 yards per target was disappointing but far from awful.
- This is all to say that, as of last year, Diggs could still play. He’s no longer the elite WR1 he was for Buffalo, but he’s still a very good NFL WR — something the Patriots desperately lacked in 2024. We’ll see if Diggs is still the same player coming off a late-career ACL tear, but last year’s performance provides some optimism that he still has good football left in the tank.
- And the Patriots hopefully aren’t done adding WR help, but this is an ideal landing spot. Considering the circumstances, Drake Maye played extremely well last season, and New England upgraded their coaching staff for 2025 as well with Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels (regardless of where you think they stack up vs. other coaching staffs, it’s inarguably a big upgrade from last season for the Patriots).
- New England has four picks in the first two days of the draft, including the fourth overall pick. We’ll see what they do there, but on paper, Diggs can command a low- to mid-20s target share right off the bat and be a weekly fantasy starter — if he’s fully healthy and able to replicate the level of play he was at in 2024. Those are both question marks right now, and we should get a better idea of how to answer those questions during the summer.
OTHER PATRIOTS PLAYERS
- DeMario Douglas had been the de facto WR1 for New England over the past two seasons, so this hurts him the most, though the expectation was always that the Patriots would add significant WR help this offseason. Diggs’ average depth of target dropped to 8.4 last year — the lowest mark of his career — and he’s now 31 years old coming off a torn ACL, so it’s unclear how well he’ll be able to get downfield in 2025. That means the high-percentage, low-value targets that had been going to Douglas over the past two seasons will now likely go to Diggs. Douglas has performed admirably given the role he was thrust into, but, as a volume-based option who’s never been efficient at scoring fantasy points on a per-target basis, this might be a death knell.
- Kayshon Boutte had a 14.5-yard aDOT and averaged 8.7 yards per target. He’s a former sixth-round pick with a new staff coming in, but perhaps he remains a viable real-life player for the Patriots as a field stretcher. He still has to survive the offseason with his job and isn’t much of a fantasy option, but there’s at least some path to him having usable weeks.
- Ja’Lynn Polk was a second-round pick in 2024 and was arguably the worst WR in football last year. It’s too early to write him off, but simply put: He needs to play better to save his career. Diggs’ arrival means he won’t be handed as many opportunities, but the onus is ultimately on him.
- Mack Hollins and Kendrick Bourne (who is a cut candidate) are rotational players who have no fantasy relevance.
- Drake Maye averaged 4.7 carries and 37 rushing yards per game as a rookie and now has a viable (ideally) WR1. He played well given he had no offensive line, no WRs, and a poor coaching staff last year, and is in a much better situation in Year 2. His rushing chops make him a real fantasy option, and the Diggs addition only helps his case.
