CB Jason McCourty's (groin) status is uncertain for Week 13's matchup against the Texans.

Analysis: If McCourty's unable to play, the Patriots' secondary could struggle against Will Fuller and Kenny Stills while Stephon Gilmore handles DeAndre Hopkins. McCourty's injury is worth monitoring as the week progresses, but the upside here should keep Patriots D/ST as a fantasy-viable unit. The Pats lead the league with 29 turnovers, and they've allowed just 256.4 total YPG (second) this season. The Texans' offense is quite productive with 381.6 total YPG (seventh), but it comes at the cost of…read more

The Patriots allowed 10 points and 255 total yards to the Eagles in Week 11's win.

Analysis: The Patriots were gifted an injury-riddled Eagles team, but there's nothing to make us believe it wouldn't have been a similar result even with Philly at full force. The Pats' defense leads the league with just 5.3 YPA allowed, and their 97.3 rushing YPG ranks 10th. It also ranks third with 37 sacks and first with 28 forced turnovers. However, a lot of their production came against lesser offenses than the Cowboys. QB Dak Prescott leads the league with 8.8 YPA, and he has two dynamic…read more

The Patriots forced two turnovers in Week 9's 37-20 loss to the Ravens.

Analysis: The Patriots didn't let up more than 14 points in a game over their first eight weeks, but the QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens found weaknesses on the ground with 210 total rushing yards. They enjoyed a bye week to lick their wounds and remain as the league leader with 27 turnovers (three per game). They won't have to face a beast like Jackson in this contest, but QB Carson Wentz does have some scrambling ability. The Eagles rank 11th in the league for rushing with 127.9 YPG and have pounded in…read more

The Patriots have held each opponent this season to 14 points or fewer.

Analysis: A matchup against the Ravens in Week 9 marks just the second team they Patriots have faced with a .500 record or greater. Their explosive and ball-hawkish defense should transfer over to better competition, as this is still a generational unit that leads the league with 31 sacks and 25 forced turnovers. Coach Bill Belichick has a track record of eliminating opponents' best players, though, so it'll be interesting how he gameplans for the new-age Michael Vick. Lamar Jackson still figures to get…read more

The Patriots shut out the Jets and forced six turnovers in Week 7's win.

Analysis: A contender for fantasy MVP this year, the Patriots lead the league with 22 turnovers -- seven more than the next best -- and rank second with 26 sacks. They haven't allowed a team to score more than 14 points on them this year to post a season-long average of 6.9 points against per game. Of course, they've been gifted a favorable schedule for the first half of the season, but these are historic numbers. The Patriots have the ability to force QB Baker Mayfield into costly mistakes, as the…read more

The Patriots have piled up 10 turnovers over the last three weeks.

Analysis: The Patriots have had a favorable schedule, including a 30-14 win over the Jets in Week 3. They were fortunate to face Luke Falk in that outing, however, and now Sam Darnold is back from mono. Darnold was impressive in his return with 338 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Considering the weapons the Jets have at their disposal -- RB Le'Veon Bell and WR Robby Anderson -- this could be the Patriots' toughest test yet. Still, they haven't allowed a team to surpass 14 points this…read more

The Patriots haven't allowed more than 14 points in a game this season.

Analysis: The Patriots are in a smash spot for the sixth straight week. Not only are they a shutdown defense, but they continue to lead the league in sacks (24) and turnovers (12) while allowing a league-low 66 first downs. The Giants show more promise with Daniel Jones under center than Eli Manning, but they faltered against the first formidable defense -- the Vikings -- they faced by scoring just 10 points. There's high upside here for the Patriots since Jones has thrown four interceptions and been…read more

The Patriots have league highs in turnovers (10) and sacks (18) through four games.

Analysis: The Patriots secured the top fantasy defense through the first quarter of the season by forcing turnovers, making sacks and allowing just 27 total points. After examining their schedule, it's clear they haven't been tested with matchups against the Steelers, Dolphins, Jets and Bills. However, that doesn't matter for this contest, as the Redskins have averaged just 16.8 points per game (28th in the league) and turned the ball over nine times. Their biggest offensive threat is rookie WR Terry…read more

The Patriots have made 13 sacks through three weeks.

Analysis: The Patriots have an appealing matchup versus the Bills on tap. Josh Allen is a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback, but he turns the ball over often with three interceptions and two lost fumbles so far. The Patriots have the ability to contain him as a runner, although they haven't faced off against a truly mobile signal caller yet (Josh Rosen didn't start Week 2). Facing the Bills gives the Patriots D/ST a solid floor this week since they've averaged 22 points per game, but the ceiling is elite…read more

The Patriots have allowed just three points and forced five turnovers through two games.

Analysis: Of course, they had a softball opponent in Week 2 versus the Dolphins, but they'll have a similar matchup in Week 3 versus the Jets. Misfortune struck the Jets again when QB Trevor Siemian (ankle) was ruled out for the year, so inexperienced QB Luke Falk will make his first career start. Falk actually looked solid in relief, completing 80 percent of his passes for 198 yards and no turnovers. Still, RB Le'Veon Bell had nowhere to run in that game, averaging 3.2 YPC and losing a fumble. The Jets…read more

The Patriots allowed just three points and forced an interception in Week 1's win over the Steelers.

Analysis: The Patriots were thoroughly dominant by holding QB Ben Roethlisberger to just 5.9 YPA and RB James Conner to 7.9 YPC. They also contained star WR JuJu Smith-Schuster to six catches for 78 yards. On tap is a Week 2 matchup versus the Dolphins, who coughed up three turnovers versus the Ravens in Week 1 and don't have any players as talented as the Steelers' top skill positions. This bodes well for the Patriots, especially if their offense gets them another large early lead and the Dolphins turn…read more

The Patriots allowed the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (seven) last season.

Analysis: Goodbye, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. There's a new show in town. The Steelers have turned over two superstars and look ready to start the new era with RB James Conner and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Both proved to be capable players, as Conner scored 13 touchdowns as the only show in town and Smith-Schuster racked up 1,426 yards behind Brown. The Patriots defense is a stingy bunch, though, as it allowed 20.3 points per game (ranked seventh) last season. It kept Smith-Schuster in check last year…read more

The Patriots finished 2018 ranked 21st in total defense (359.1 YPG) and and seventh in scoring defense (20.3 PPG).

Analysis: New England was also tied for fifth with 28 takeaways to help finish as a top-five fantasy defense. The offseason loss of DE Trey Flowers is bound to be felt, but veteran Michael Bennett should be a solid veteran replacement. Coach Bill Belichick is likely to be more involved with the defense early this season after the departure of DC Brian Flores, but he's already said he won't be calling plays, which could fall to Jerod Mayo.

The Patriots held the Bills to 12 points and forced three turnovers in Week 16. They face the Jets in the regular season finale Sunday.

Analysis: New England has now allowed 17 points or fewer in four of the last five games as they get set to take on New York, who hasn't scored fewer than 20 points since the teams' previous meeting Week 12. The Jets rank 29th in total offense (303.2 YPG), but rookie signal caller Sam Darnold has flashed his potential throughout the season, though with understandable consistency. WRs Quincy Enunwa (ankle) and Jermaine Kearse (Achilles) could both end up missing Sunday's game, which would give a major…read more

The Patriots enter their Week 16 game against the Bills ranked 13th in the league in scoring defense (22.1 PPG).

Analysis: New England put forth a spectacular performance against the Steelers in Week 15, holding them to 17 points and forcing a pair of turnovers, though it wasn't enough to avoid a loss. A much better matchup awaits Sunday, as the Bills rank 31st in scoring offense (15.4 PPG) and total offense (293.4 YPG). Rookie QB Josh Allen has provided an undeniable boost to Buffalo's offense and the team overall, but he has thrown four interceptions and lost one of four fumbles in four games since returning from…read more

The Patriots gave up 412 yards during Sunday's 34-33 loss to the Dolphins.

Analysis: The Patriots' defense will be on the wrong side of history for perhaps the most memorable finish to a regular season NFL game in quite some time. Many personnel questions swarmed the Patriots' coaching staff and Bill Belichick following the loss, but if there's a team that will block out the noise and shift its gears to Pittsburgh, it's New England. The Steelers enter this week's contest as the fourth-ranked total offense averaging 408.1 YPG. Given the Patriots' defensive struggles as of late…read more

The Patriots boast the league's ninth-ranked scoring defense (21.6 PPG) entering Week 14's game against the Dolphins.

Analysis: New England has revamped its defense following the 34-10 loss to Tennessee two weeks ago. It's almost like the Patriots needed a little wake up call after their six-game win streak. If there were any reservations about the legitimacy of this defense, those questions were put to rest following last week's 24-10 win over the Vikings. New England held Kirk Cousins and Co. to just 278 yards while forcing two turnovers. The performance certainly ranks near the top of personal highs for this…read more

The Patriots currently boast the league's 22nd-ranked total defense (377.5 YPG). They will take on the Vikings in Week 13.

Analysis: The Patriots enjoyed a nice bounce-back win over the Jets last week but some questions regarding the defense still remain. A strong outing against the New York offense isn't an overly persuading sample to believe New England has corrected much of its woes. This week's opponent, Minnesota, features one of the more dynamic offenses in football. Between the combination of Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, New England's secondary will surely have their hands full come Sunday.

The Patriots rank 24th in the NFL in total defense entering their Week 12 game against the Jets.

Analysis: The Patriots are coming off a somewhat embarrassing all-around performance against the Titans in Week 10, allowing a bottom-third offense to score 34 points on 6.1 yards per play. Rookie QB Sam Darnold continues to deal with a foot injury, and at this point seems questionable at best for Sunday's tilt. Veteran Josh McCown struggled during his fill-in start against the Bills, as the Jets offense remains largely devoid of playmakers and averages less than 300 yards of offense. The Patriots have…read more