Should I Start DeMario Douglas?

Saturday, October 10, 6:21 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas could take on a larger role starting in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Patriots placed wide receiver Mack Hollins (calf) on injured reserve Sunday, and they will also be without A.J. Brown (ankle) for at least one more week. As a result, New England is carrying just four wide receivers into Sunday's home game, with Douglas the presumptive No. 2 receiver behind Romeo Doubs. He and Hollins are different styles of receivers; the former offers a short-to-medium yardage outlet, while the latter makes physical catches downfield. However, it's still reasonable to expect that plenty of Hollins' vacated targets could go to Douglas, especially since the Patriots already have Doubs, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III to handle those aforementioned big plays downfield. The expanded role will vault Douglas into the WR3/flex conversation in deeper leagues, although the duration of his fantasy relevance will depend on how much more time Brown misses.