New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski played in the team's season opener as expected, but he was far from a constant on offense. Gronkowski played in just 38 of 86 offensive snaps, which comes out to 44 percent. He primarily came in on third down situations and played most snaps in the red zone. Coming off significant injuries, it's not necessarily surprising to see his snap count so low.
Rob Gronkowski plays 38 snaps; fantasy value still high
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski played less than half of the team’s offensive snaps on Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
Mike Ehrmann
That said, Gronkowski still got plenty of looks from quarterback Tom Brady. He saw a team-leading 11 targets in the passing game, one more than Kenbrell Thompkins and three more than Julian Edelman, who led the team with six receptions for 95 yards. Gronkowski only managed four receptions on the 11 targets, though he did manage 40 yards and a touchdown.
Fantasy Impact: Gronkowski’s lack of playing time was just a precaution due to his injuries. He didn’t look 100 percent out there, but the Patriots still want to get him the ball as often as possible. Fantasy owners should be disappointed in the season opener, but he’s not a guy you go and sit unless you think there’s a chance he misses a game. He’ll be back to playing the bulk of offensive snaps sooner rather than later, it seems.
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