Patriots News: Julian Edelman Injury Confirmed, Chris Hogan & Brandin Cooks’ Fantasy Football Value To Rise

On Saturday, the New England Patriots received the worst news possible after a preseason game saw star receiver Julian Edelman be carted off the field due to injury. It was feared that Julian may have torn his ACL following a play in last night’s New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions NFL preseason game. Now ESPN has confirmed that the injury is such, and it brings up plenty of questions for the Patriots going forward. It will also lead NFL fantasy football owners to look for other options during their drafts for the upcoming season. One of the top options available will be right on the Patriots’ roster.

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN‘s Adam Schefter indicated league sources had confirmed after an MRI that Patriots receiver Julian Edelman suffered a completely torn ACL in his right knee. The “non-contact” injury happened during just the first quarter of last night’s Patriots vs. Lions game in Detroit. Edelman became hurt after getting past linebacker Jarrad Davis to catch a pass around the 29-yard line. When the 31-year-old receiver ran up the field and tried to avoid safety Tavon Wilson, he lunged forward and almost immediately after, he started to clutch the back of his right leg and knee area. It was believed to be an ACL injury after the game last night, but the team was awaiting the official MRI results on Saturday before going forward.

With Edelman now set to miss the season, it means that NFL fantasy football team owners are looking at options to replace the star. Edelman was listed as 93 percent owned by fantasy football owners on Yahoo! Sports and 100 percent owned by owners on ESPN. The popular target for Tom Brady on the field was also considered a No. 3 receiver in most leagues in standard leagues. He was also said to have an average draft position of 22nd at best for his position in PPR leagues, according to Fantasy Pros. Now that he’s going to be sidelined for this coming season, several beneficiaries will arrive due to his absence from the field.

From Total Access post-game, our report on #Patriots WR Julian Edelman and his torn ACL (pending tests): pic.twitter.com/e9FBv1xcQg

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 26, 2017

One of those options is in fact, the New England Patriots’ Chris Hogan. In last night’s 30-28 win over the Lions, Hogan had four catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. As Heavy‘s Jonathan Adams reported, Hogan will certainly move up the Patriots’ depth chart now that Edelman is out. Hogan was previously listed as second behind Brandin Cooks on the left wide receiver group on the Patriots’ roster. It’s now being said that he’ll take over Edelman’s spot on the right side wide receiver group and line up opposite Cooks this season.

The 28-year-old Hogan is now in his fifth season overall and second with the Patriots. He’s caught 125 passes for 1,639 yards and 10 touchdowns during his career. Last season saw him get 680 yards and just four catches on 38 receptions for the Pats. However, Hogan was a major part of New England’s 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2016 AFC Conference Championship game. He was a popular target for quarterback Tom Brady and helped lead the team with 180 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions. With the unfortunate news of Julian Edelman’s injury, he will be one of the main beneficiaries who could step up to possible help New England continue their dominance in the league.

Not only should Hogan benefit from this injury, but star receiver Brandin Cooks should as well. He was among the stars on the New Orleans Saints in terms of fantasy football before joining the New England Patriots. Cooks’ 2016 NFL season with the Pats saw him grab 78 passes for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns. CBS Sports’ Jamey Eisenberg indicated that Cooks was the No. 9 fantasy receiver for standard leagues last season. Eisenberg suggests that owners should look to draft him towards the end of the second round as a top-10 Fantasy Football receiver, but says that Hogan could be the real “sleeper” for this year’s NFL fantasy football drafts.

[Featured Image by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]