Julian Edelman - Fantasy Points Outlook

The Patriots have acquired WR Brandin Cooks from the Saints, sending a 1st- and a 3rd-round pick and getting back a 4th-rounder. Cooks caught 162 passes over the past 2 seasons, topping 1,100 yards in each campaign and scoring 17 TDs over that span. He finished among the top 13 WRs across fantasy formats in each of those seasons. The Pats control his rights for the next 2 years, including a team option for 2018. Cooks lands in 1 of the few offenses that approximates the efficiency of New Orleans and figures to quickly challenge Julian Edelman for the team target lead. His fantasy outlook doesn't change drastically from what it's been with the Saints. Other WRs in New England will have more trouble finding regular opportunities. Back in New Orleans, Michael Thomas should grab a larger share of targets, while Willie Snead stands to gain if the team doesn't add anything more than Ted Ginn to the corps this offseason.

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A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that Patriots QB Tom Brady must serve the 4-game suspension for his role in "Deflategate."  Brady won his appeal of the suspension last fall and played all 16 games.  He does have the option of appealing this decision to the Supreme Court, although that's viewed as unlikely.  Brady and the league could also agree on a reduced ban.  But for now, he'll miss the first 4 contests of the 2016 season.  QB Jimmy Garoppolo will start those games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills.  Those matchups make him tough to like as a fantasy option, especially with no teams on bye for the first 3 weeks.  Brady's suspension also hurts WR Julian Edelman and TE Rob Gronkowski's early-season outlooks.

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