Fantasy football grips millions of NFL fans with hopes for glory in their respective leagues and some financial remuneration, as well. While it's not for everyone, it's an interesting diversion, and it's based on predicting the performances of NFL players.
Top analysts devote a lot of time to advising fantasy football types who should be listening to their advice. That advice is based on top analytics as well as the opinions of these observers whose livelihoods are devoted to analyzing NFL teams and their players.
A good indicator for NFL fans is if their home team's players are suggested as good bets for the upcoming season. One observer, Bleacher Report, has done just that for the most important player and position on the Patriots, their quarterback. The suggestion is that he's a solid pick in fantasy football.
Drake Maye is a top fantasy football pick by Bleacher Report
No matter which NFL team you root for, the quarterback is always the key player on the team. How he goes, so goes your team and its season. That's not to say that if you have a quarterback and nothing else, you'll swim into the playoffs. You won't, and the 2024 Patriots are a prime example.
The Patriots had a top 2024 rookie quarterback, Drake Maye, on board. Unfortunately, mismanagement of his development and a poor supporting cast cost the Patriots any chance they had for a decent season. But this is 2025, and these are Mike Vrabel's Patriots.
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport has given fantasy football fans some ideas before the 2025 season on who to target or stay away from in fantasy football. One he says to target is the Patriots' Drake Maye.
"...The Patriots revamped the offensive line, including a pair of new starters at tackle in veteran Morgan Moses and rookie first-rounder Will Campbell. There are also several new weapons for Maye to utilize. A proven veteran wideout in Stefon Diggs who in 2023 reeled in 107 catches and tallied almost 1,200 receiving yards. A lanky, athletic boundary target in rookie Kyle Williams. An explosive pass-catcher out of the backfield in running back TreVeyon Henderson. Add in Maye’s sneaky rushing upside (he was ninth among quarterbacks with 421 yards on the ground last season), and he’s an attractive target for fantasy managers in no hurry to select a starting quarterback on draft day."
While Davenport only ranks Maye as his 16th-best quarterback, he's still bullish on the young slinger. As he has pointed out, there's ample reason to be optimistic. Mike Vrabel has gone to work on the offense, and at a minimum, it will be miles ahead of the 2024 group.
Drake Maye will lead the Patriots to a winning season
Football is a team sport; it's teams that win games, not individuals. Yet, it's naive to think that individual achievements aren't part and parcel of any winning season. The most important player in all that is your quarterback and how he performs. Maye will have no sophomore slump to impede his or the team's progress.
Yet, B/Rs Davenport has nicely outlined how Mike Vrabel has emplaced key building blocks that will differentiate the 2025 team from last season's team, which couldn't score touchdowns. Vrabel has made it clear that he has to change, and it's reflected in his offensive player acquisitions.
Vrabel added four new and better receivers to a lackluster wide receiver room. Diggs, Williams, Mack Hollins, and undrafted Efton Chism III were brought in. All are improvements over 2024. In addition, Davenport focused on the offensive line, pointing out two key additions, Moses and Campbell. But there are others like Garrett Bradbury, Jared Wilson, and Marcus Bryant who'll upgrade that worst in the NFL 2024 unit.
He also singled out explosive running back TreVeyon Henderson, who's already demonstrated that he can take a carry or reception to the house on any given play. All this adds up to a much-improved offense to help Drake Maye fully utilize his dual-threat capabilities and win games. In fantasy football, he sounds like a good bet, indeed.