He was getting screamed at by his quarterback a week ago, but rookie wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins got hugs instead Sunday, hauling in two touchdowns. Overall, he caught three passes for 41 yards as the New England Patriots beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-3.
Kenbrell Thompkins rewards fantasy owners with 2 TDs
After struggling through Week 2, Thompkins bounced back Sunday, hauling in two touchdowns. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Thompkins struggled through the Pats' Week 2 game against the Jets, with only two receptions and several times being on the receiving end of Tom Brady's ire. He boosted his production in Week 3, catching 16- and five-yard touchdown passes from Brady in the second quarter, putting the Patriots ahead to stay.
Fantasy impact: Any fantasy owners who started out the season relying on Thompkins, only to give up hope after the Jets game, were too rash in their decision-making, and that was true before this two-touchdown game. Anyway, Thompkins stands to be plenty valuable for the Patriots going forward, even without a lot of catches -- he has only nine through three games. But without Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola, Thompkins, Aaron Dobson, and Julian Edelman will have to be Brady's targets.
When Gronkowski and Amendola eventually do make their returns, it will be interesting to see who suffers the most in the Patriots offense. It actually might be Edelman, as he and Amendola tend to be similar receivers. Even once the two stars come back, Thompkins and/or Dobson might stand as the team’s deep threats.
