Malcolm Mitchell Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

As expected Malcolm Mitchell has been ruled out for Saturday night. Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, and Danny Amendola will continue to work as the team's three main wide receivers. Still waiting for official Hogan news, but all signs are pointing to him playing vs the Titans.

Mitchell has been placed on IR due to knee issues which certainly led to the Patriots being more aggressive in pursuit of another receiver (Phillip Dorsett) to provide some depth. With Mitchell on the shelf, the targets should be spread a little more narrowly, although we should expect to see Dorsett get more involved behind Hogan and Amendola on the outside. It's very possible that a guy like James White gets more involved as a receiver with injuries piling up to Pats wideouts, but the entire New England backfield remains more or less a mystery even while we're only a few hours out from kickoff.

Mitchell will be buried on the depth chart if he's able to play, which takes him off the DFS radar. Instead, quarterback Tom Brady will look for Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola ahead of Mitchell. Plus, they have a deep backfield with effective pass-catchers. There are certainly plenty of mouths to feed and Mitchell is far down the list. Kansas City has one of the best corners in the league in Marcus Peters but he doesn't move from the left side. Opposite him will be Phillip Gaines, who was Pro Football Focus' second-lowest graded cornerbacks among 109 qualifiers in 2016 (34.8). Hogan and Cooks should both get plenty of looks against Gaines and could benefit further if safety Ron Parker (ankle, doubtful) misses Thursday's game as Parker was the ninth-best safety in coverage last season. It could open up more deep-ball opportunities, making them exciting tournament options in Week 1. New England currently has the highest implied total on the board (28.75 points).

Reliable beat writer Mike Reiss asserted that only four of New England's five receivers will be active tomorrow, but he isn't exactly sure who will be the inactive among the group. Malcolm Mitchell (knee) was the odd one out last weekend against the Houston Texans, although Reiss seems to believe it was because he was not medically cleared. Given the connection he's developed with Tom Brady, if he's healthy he will most likely be the third receiver behind Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan (thigh, questionable). Michael Floyd out-snapped Danny Amendola 44-21 against the Texans but he played poorly and made some costly mistakes, including one that created an interception. He's also new to the team, which could provide an edge to Amendola. Either way, it seems like the Patriots will likely choose between those two tomorrow. It'll be worth following on game-day as a player like Michael Floyd is a potential contrarian GPP flier on a two-game slate that features limited avenues to differentiate lineups. If Mitchell ends up active, he should be the third receiver and will be a solid contrarian play himself with Hogan a bit banged up. New England has the second game tomorrow but we'll hopefully know what the Patriots plan to do with Mitchell, Floyd, and Amendola before lock.

Mitchell (knee) is officially questionable but ESPN's Mike Reiss believes he could be active tomorrow. He wasn't last week as he was rehabbing his injury and the Patriots had four other receivers healthy. Chris Hogan is now dealing with a thigh injury, so New England could dress Mitchell to ensure depth at the position, or they may put him back in three-wide sets. Hopefully we'll get a better idea of how New England intends to use Mitchell prior to lock. Towards the end of the season, Mitchell put together a four-week stretch with at least four receptions and 40 yards in each game and scored four times. He definitely has skill and Brady trusts him. However, they have a full rotation of receivers plus Michael Floyd. If he's active, he'll have a low floor but could be a sneaky tournament option people aren't thinking about. We know he can score, so he's worth a look as a contrarian play, especially with Hogan banged up. Mitchell projects as the WR2 on the Patriots - ahead of Hogan and behind Edelman - but his ownership is projected at just 7% on DraftKings and 4% on FanDuel. That could turn into a huge advantage on a two-game slate, but it's a risky bet for sure.

Hogan, Bennett, and Amendola are all expected to play, but Mitchell may be inactive again this week. Hogan and Bennett are both viable fantasy options. Hogan was on his way to a big game against the Houston Texans prior to exiting in the third quarter, he was working with a 4/95/0 line with plenty of game clock left. He's better utilized as a boom-or-bust tournament option. Bennett has been dealing with injuries for the past couple of months and he won't be playing at 100%. He's still the second best tight end available on Sunday.

Both players were limited today. Mitchell was a scratched for the divisional round, partially due to his injury and partially due to Danny Amendola's return, which provided the Patriots with four fully healthy receivers. It's unclear at this point if he'll be active for their game with the Steelers. Hogan was forced from their win over the Houston Texans after suffering a thigh injury, although he said was fine immediately following the game. He's fully expected to play Sunday. Hogan offers big play ability for tournament rosters, but he isn't a strong cash game option due to his low floor and volume. He performed well against the Texans, hauling in all four of his targets for 95 yards prior to exiting in the third quarter.