New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski may be practicing with the team, but there's little optimism for his chances to play in a preseason game this year. There is still a chance, however, that the prolific pass-catcher will be ready to go for New England's season opener, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
There’s still ‘optimism’ for Rob Gronkowski to play the Patriots’ opener
Rob Gronkowski might not get any playing time in the preseason, but there’s optimism he’ll be ready to go for the regular season opener. We break down the fantasy implications.
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The Patriots will take on the Miami Dolphins to kickstart their season on Sept. 7. Gronkowski is developing a reputation for being injury-prone at this point, but we've heard nothing about a setback throughout the recovery process from his torn ACL and MCL. He recently returned to doing 7-on-7 drills for the first time all offseason, albeit in a red no-contact jersey.
Fantasy Impact: Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in the NFL and should be one of the top three players off the board from his position. That’s if he can be healthy, though, and the news that he may not play in any preseason games is definitely a blow to fantasy owner confidence. If he’s targeting a Week 1 return, then he’ll still likely go early in drafts -- his upside is too great to ignore -- but not getting to see him at all in the preseason would be disappointing to say the least.
