5 New England Patriots players to watch in Week 3

Patriots Players to Watch in Week 3: Logan Ryan

Last but not least, Logan Ryan is a top Patriots player to watch in Week 3 because he will be going up against one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, DeAndre Hopkins. We can project that the Patriots will place Ryan on Hopkins because they tend to put Ryan on a team’s top wideout with Devin McCourty’s safety help over the top and let Malcolm Butler tee-off on the No. 2 guy.

The good news is that Ryan had arguably his best game as a pro last year in coverage of Hopkins. He surpassed expectations and impressed the entire Patriots’ fan base by limiting the threat of Hopkins; it was definitely Ryan’s best game in a very good 2015 season.

The bad news is that the Texans have another promising wideout developing right now: Will Fuller. In fact, Fuller ranks fourth in the NFL right now with 211 receiving yards, highlighted by his 23.4 yards per catch average. With Fuller a threat on the other side of the field, McCourty will have to respect him and shift his attention away from Hopkins a bit more than Patriots fans would like.

Next: 5 things you should know about the Texans

So there you have it: Brissett, Blount, Cannon, Hightower and Ryan are the top five Patriots players to watch in Week 3. Stay tuned here on Musket Fire leading up to and after the game for fresh points of analysis.