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The injury bug continues to hammer the New England Patriots hard this season after star receiver Josh Gordon was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
After the Patriots acquired Mohamed Sanu as a means of strengthening the depleted receiving corps, New England may actually find their replacement for Gordon from within. And no, it is not first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry.
It’s fellow rookie Jakobi Meyers. When Gordon went down, it was Meyers who stepped in and immediately saw increased snaps for the remainder of the Week 6 contest.
He has been the Patriots’ go-to replacement receiver all season. In Week 3 against the Jets, Meyers played in much of the second half when Julian Edelman went down. He saw a season-high 56 snaps against the Giants in Week 6 when both Gordon and Phillip Dorsett were unavailable.
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With Gordon gone for the rest of the season, could it be time for Meyers to shine?
Chemistry with Tom Brady
Since signing with New England, Meyers has impressed the Patriots coaching staff and quickly worked his way into first-team reps with Brady. He shined in preseason and it didn’t take long for the Patriots to deploy Meyers as a primary target in regular-season games.
With nine catches over the last two games on as many targets, New England knows they have a reliable fit at receiver for the future. But the concern is how he will share snaps with Sanu, Dorsett, and Harry all in the fold as well.
Meyers played mainly a slot role in college but has transitioned to a mid-distance target in the NFL so far. Sanu could serve as a slot receiver, meaning Meyers will have the ability to range further downfield much like Chris Hogan did with New England.
Snap Count Diminished?
Looking at games when the Patriots had a full range of receivers to choose from, it’s obvious Meyers hasn’t been the preferred target. In those games, he played a total of 12 snaps and was even inactive for New England’s Week 2 affair with Miami when Antonio Brown was in the fold.
With Sanu and Harry set to join Dorsett, it might force Meyers completely out of the fold. That likely won’t happen for a couple weeks until Harry is fully healthy, but it’s definitely possible he gets phased out with a pair of talented receivers ahead of him.
Why You Should Pick Him Up
Given his playing time is in jeopardy, Meyers will need to do whatever he can to remain in the receiver rotation. Over the next two games, don’t be surprised to see Meyers upping his level of play to prove he still belongs.
That is why you should buy while the market is low for Meyers. He is owned in less than one percent of leagues and won’t be highly sought after given his secondary role. But if he does perform well enough to maintain his spot in the rotation, it would be a steal of a pick up — low-risk, high-reward.
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