It appears as though Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman couldn't avoid the Week 17 precautionary measures from the New England Patriots. Gronkowski and Edelman will be rested as the Patriots look ahead to the playoffs.
Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman will not play for Week 17, fantasy owners need backup plan
Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman will sit out Sunday. We take a look at the fantasy implications.
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Gronkowski is purely a precautionary move. He's healthy. There's just no reason for the Patriots to risk injury at this point. Edelman has been banged up, and anyone that's less than 100 percent shouldn't risk taking the field at this point. Tight end Tim Wright will likely fill in for Gronkowski, but quarterback Tom Brady won't see a big workload. Brady will likely leave the game after the first or second quarter for the same precautionary reasons. Jimmy Garappolo will likely take over at quarterback once Brady leaves. There's not telling who Garappolo will favor in the passing game.
Fantasy impact: At this point, anyone in re-draft leagues should avoid most Patriots players. Brandon LaFell could see a healthy dose of targets, but even LaFell isn't guaranteed to see a large snap count. Tim Wright is an interesting streamer. Backup quarterbacks have a tendency to lean on big men in the middle of the field. However, there is a lot of talent that's simply up in the air at this point in the season. Proceed with caution.
