This is a current situation I've been thinking about for quite some time now so I thought I'd make a thread about it as I feel it's a good discussion topic - and the Patriots offense tends to generate loads of fantasy points for poolies so if you can figure out how their offense will be run this year then that could lead to major rewards.

So last year as you all know, Ochocinco was never used and Patriots didn't really have a WR deep threat, and used Gronks/Hernandez quite extensively.

This year --- enter Brandon Lloyd and Josh McDaniels.

We all know McDaniels loves Lloyd, and more importantly loves to use Lloyd in offensive schemes. (e.g. just 2 years ago Lloyd led the NFL in receiving yards while working with McDaniels and was the #1 fantasy WR, all without Brady throwing him the rock). We also know based on his track record Brady isn't completely reliant on using his TE's and does have the capability to gain chemistry with a talented deep threat wide receiver if need be. All of these signs point to Lloyd taking away touches from the guys who had touches last year and potentially having an amazing year.

I get the feeling Welker will still get his short underneath routes and catch a lot of balls, but I'm not so sure how this will affect Gronk/Hernandez, especially Hernandez who is projected by most experts to be the best tight end after Gronks and Graham, and I'm not so sure I see that with Lloyd in the picture as people would tend to speculate that the #3 guy from last year (Hernandez, who I rank after Gronks and Welker) would see the biggest decrease due to Lloyd's possible emergence. I get the feeling because of this a lot of people will stay away from Hernandez, so I feel there is value to be had there in drafting him, if he performs as well as last year. But then again, drafting Hernandez over starters who have no competition from another tight end in their offense and have produced at a good level in the past such as Witten, Gates, Davis, Finley, Pettigrew (maybe) I find to be quite the risky proposition.

So...what do you all think....how do you see this New England situation unfolding, and how will this situation affect their productive fantasy players? Would you draft Hernandez as your starting TE over the TE's I mentioned above?

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Roster:
C - Stamkos, Bergeron, M.Koivu, Stepan
W - Malkin(C/W), Benn(C/W), Backes(C/W), Iginla, Vanek, Voracek, J.Staal(C/W), Hemsky, Saad
D - Yandle, Goligoski
G - Lundqvist, Smith, Dubnyk, Khudobin
IR - Karlsson, Martin

12 teams h-to-h partial keeper league. Daily line-up changes.
End of the year u keep 1C, 2W, 2D, 1G
Categories: G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG, FW, W, GAA, SV%, SHO
Lineup: 2C, 4W, 4D, 2G, 5Bench, 2IR

I'm working on this right now, actually - for the guide

I think Tom Brady is going to have one hell of a year with a TON of weapons. I don't expect Lloyd to have a billion receptions, his job is more to stretch the field for Welker, Gronk and Hernandez underneath. He'll be a track star out there running in open space and at times Brady will get him the ball. I think a few HR but the bread and butter of the Patriots offense is still dink and dunk with Yards after catch by Welker and the TE group

I think Gronk is overvalued as a first round pick - I'd rather take Hernandez in the 4th, but both are WR in TE form. That's hard to pass up when Brady's flinging it.