Patriots WR K.J. Osborn drew a team-high 6 targets in Sunday's upset win over the Bengals, catching just three for 21 yards. Those 3 receptions tied him with RB Rhamondre Stevenson for the team lead. No Patriot tallied more than 31 receiving yards, as QB Jacoby Brissett threw for only 121 yards on 15-of-24 passing. That target lead for Osborn also proved deceptive vs. the WR corps playing time.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne will open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, according to multiple reports. That means Bourne will miss at least the first four games while continuing to work back from last October's ACL tear.
Patriots rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk has impressed over his first week of training camp. NESN's Sean T. McGuire praised Polk's work across multiple drills and situations Tuesday, adding that the rookie "continues to stack [good] days."
ESPN's Mike Reiss posited this week who the early favorites might be to lead the Patriots at WR. "Former Viking K.J. Osborn ... has positioned himself as an early leader among Patriots receivers," Reiss wrote. "Second-year slot receiver DeMario Douglas appears as quick as ever. Add in [rookie Ja'Lynn] Polk, and that could be the team's top three targets if everyone is healthy." That assessment came amid a longer intro that focused on Polk's work. The second-round pick has reportedly impressed with his work in practice. He -- and the others -- face a seemingly wide-open fight for jobs in a WR corps that stunk last year and didn't spend much on adding to it this offseason.
The Patriots are signing WR K.J. Osborn to a one-year deal worth $4 million, with a top value of $6 million. That's not enough to guarantee a significant role. But Osborn clearly lands in a place with opportunity. WR Demario Douglas led the team in targets last year as a late-round rookie who played just 14 games. RB Ezekiel Elliott led the team in receptions as a 28-year-old addition averaging just 6.1 yards per catch. And TE Hunter Henry was the only other Patriot to reach 40 catches. We'll see how this year's pass-catching corps sorts out and who's throwing passes. Osborn arrives as an unexciting option, topping out at 3.5 receptions per game in 2022.
The Vikings have announced that QB Jaren Hall will start over Nick Mullens this Sunday night against the Packers. That comes after Mullens tossed 4 INTs in a 6-point Week 16 loss to Detroit. HC Kevin O'Connell originally had Hall as the backup to Kirk Cousins and started the fifth-round rookie in the first game after Cousins' season-ending injury. But O'Connell then stuck with QB Joshua Dobbs even after Hall returned from his concussion, and then rolled out Mullens after Dobbs' 4-INT turn against Chicago. This week's move says O'Connell believes Hall to be a better option than Mullens. But the rookie clearly remains unproven. He has thrown just 10 regular-season passes. The preseason found him completing just 54.2% of his passes at 5.5 yards per attempt. Hall does bring above-average speed for the position and topped 300 rushing yards in each of his final two seasons at BYU. But starting a QB in what would be his first full NFL game would obviously be very risky. The bigger question is what the switch does to WR outlooks. We'd still start Justin Jefferson comfortably. K.J. Osborn, meanwhile, is tougher to like inside WR3 territory. (He already landed as a WR4 in our Week 17 rankings.)
Vikings WR Jordan Addison (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport labeled him "week-to-week" on Monday, so the rookie seems unlikely to play vs. the Packers on Sunday night. Addison's absence would leave K.J. Osborn as Minnesota's No. 2 WR -- and a solid target bet with TE T.J. Hockenson also out.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) is not listed on the final injury report and will play vs. the Broncos on Sunday night. Assuming WR Justin Jefferson misses that one, Osborn will be a volume-based WR4 option. Note, though, that Denver’s pass defense has been excellent lately. The Broncos are up to 13th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He was actually cleared for last weekend's game vs. the Saints, but the team opted to hold him out. Barring a setback, Osborn will play vs. the Broncos on Sunday night. And he'll be a viable WR4 play if WR Justin Jefferson remains out with his hamstring injury.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) is out for today’s game vs. the Saints. He’s cleared the concussion protocol, but the team is opting to hold Osborn out. He should be back for Week 11. Osborn’s absence leaves Minnesota with WRs Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell, Trishton Jackson, N’Keal Harry, and Jalen Nailor. Addison is the only viable fantasy play.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn has cleared the concussion protocol. But NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team still wants to "check him" today before deciding whether the WR will play against the Saints. We'll watch for Osborn's status when inactive arrive around 11:30 a.m. ET. Osborn sits in just WR4 territory for now in our Week 10 rankings.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Saints. He went from no practice on Wednesday to limited participation on Thursday to full-go on Friday. Osborn appears to have a legitimate chance to be cleared in time for Sunday’s game. We should get another update on his status on Saturday.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That at least gives him a shot to be cleared for this weekend's game vs. the Saints, but we'd still consider it unlikely. Check back tomorrow for another update on Osborn's progress.
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