The Patriots selected Douglas in the sixth round of the NFL Draft from Liberty, where he was a top target for Malik Willis in 2021 with 52 catches for 701 yards and six touchdowns. He improved in 2022 without Willis, catching 79 passes for 993 yards and six touchdowns. In New England, Douglas will likely open the season behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton, and he could compete with fellow rookie Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick but will likely struggle for consistent playing time as a rookie. Boutte is not worth drafting in most redraft leagues, and in rookie-only drafts for dynasty leagues, Douglas is only worth a late-round flier. If he starts off the season playing well, then you can add him off the waiver wire in deeper formats.
Patriots' Demario Douglas: Not practicing Wednesday
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Douglas (concussion) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Though head coach Bill Belichick was previously unwilling to confirm as much, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald relays that Douglas entered the NFL's concussion protocol after being forced out of this past Sunday's loss to the Giants. Given that Douglas was previously diagnosed with a concussion Oct. 8 and proceeded to miss the Patriots' ensuing Week 6 game, the wideout may face an uphill battle to clear the five-step protocol ahead of this Sunday's game against the Chargers. If Douglas is sidelined Week 13, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton would be in line to lead the team's receiver corps.
The waiver wire is greatly impacted by injuries this week. Douglas is dealing with a head injury, but not a concussion. If he's cleared he is a must-add and a No. 3 wide receiver this week and rest of season. If he's not, DeVante Parker is pretty interesting in deeper leagues. Douglas' 27% TPRR ranks top-10 on the season.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Week 13 Waiver Priority List
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I'm hopeful Douglas clears the concussion protocol and can play in Week 13 against the Chargers. It's a great matchup since the Chargers are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and Douglas has consecutive games of nine targets and six catches prior to Week 13. He also has 38 targets in his past five outings, and he's become the No. 1 receiver for the Patriots over that span. Douglas is worth adding for up to 10 percent of your FAB. If Douglas can't play in Week 13 then consider DeVante Parker (5 percent rostered) in deeper leagues. Parker just had three catches for 42 yards on five targets in Week 12 at the Giants, and he's worth 1 percent of your FAB.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Exits early Sunday with head injury
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Douglas won't return to Sunday's game against the Giants due to a head injury, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.
Prior to his exit from the game, Douglas caught six of his nine targets for 49 yards. Given that Douglas was quickly downgraded to out after initially being listed as doubtful to return to the game, he presumably suffered a concussion. Douglas previously sat out the Patriots' Week 6 game against the Raiders due to a concussion, so if he's in the protocol for head injuries again, he'll be at high risk of missing the team's Week 13 game against the Chargers.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Sleeper WRs
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As of Friday afternoon, we don't know who will be starting at quarterback for the Patriots in Week 12 at the Giants, but it shouldn't matter much for Douglas. Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe should lean on Douglas, and he's coming off a solid game in Week 10 against the Colts prior to New England's bye. Douglas had nine targets against Indianapolis for six catches and 84 yards, and he now has at least six targets in four games in a row. He's emerged as the No. 1 receiver for the Patriots, and this is a favorable matchup against the Giants, who are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Consider Douglas a solid No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
Douglas has established himself as the No. 1 wide receiver on the Patriots with 23 targets in his last three games. I expect the rookie to continue to build on that as a WR3 who could give you WR2 numbers if he ever gets into the end zone.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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We'll see who starts at quarterback for the Patriots coming off the bye, but whether it's Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe, the mantra should be to feature Douglas in the passing game. He has at least seven targets in three games in a row, and he just had six catches for 84 yards in Week 10 against the Colts. He should be the No. 1 option in the passing game to close the season, which will make him a borderline No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. Douglas is worth adding for 5-10 percent of your FAB.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Stashes (WR Preview)
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Douglas is actually my favorite waiver wire wide receiver rest of season, but he's on bye in Week 11 so you'll have to wait a week to use him. Since Kendrick Bourne went down, Douglas leads the Patriots with a 23.8% target share and has averaged 12.5 PPR FPPG in those two games. I like him as a solid WR3 rest of season. He'll be slightly better in full PPR.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Week 11 Waiver Priority List
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I want to roster Douglas during his bye, and I'm excited with his play over the past three weeks. He's emerged as the best receiver in New England following Kendrick Bourne (ACL) going down, and Douglas has 23 targets in his past three outings against Miami, Washington and Indianapolis. He just had his best game against the Colts with six catches for 84 yards on nine targets, and I hope he stays hot after the bye. Douglas is worth adding for up to 10 percent of your FAB.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Leading receiver against Indy
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Douglas caught six of nine targets for 84 yards in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Colts.
The sixth-round rookie led the Patriots in catches, targets and receiving yards as he put together the best performance of his young career, and it was Douglas that Bailey Zappe was looking for on a game-ending interception late in the fourth quarter. It's not clear whether Zappe or Mac Jones will be under center for New England coming out of next week's bye, but Douglas appears to be solidifying his spot as the top option in the team's passing attack ahead of a Week 12 clash with the Giants.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Suits up Sunday
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Douglas (ankle) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Colts.
Douglas approached the contest listed as questionable after logging limited practices this week, but with his Sunday availability confirmed, the 2023 sixth-rounder will remain a key target for QB Mac Jones in a New England WR corps that will be without both Kendrick Bourne (knee, IR) and DeVante Parker (concussion). In each of his last two games, Douglas -- who led the team with 55 receiving yards in last weekend's 20-17 loss to the Commanders -- has recorded five catches and seven targets, a trend that has the rookie on the radar in deeper PPR formats.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Expected to play in Germany
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Douglas (ankle), officially listed as questionable, is expected to play Sunday against the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Douglas logged limited practices throughout the week, suggesting he's in a good position to play. However, his status will not become official until shortly before the team's 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff. Assuming Douglas is active, he should command plenty of targets, with both Kendrick Bourne (knee) and DeVante Parker (concussion) sidelined.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Questionable for Week 10
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Douglas (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts after practicing in a limited fashion this week.
Douglas is one of nine players listed by the Patriots as questionable for the contest, but fortunately for those inclined to use the 2023 sixth-rounder in Week 10 fantasy lineups, the team kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. As long as Douglas is available this weekend, he'll remain a key target in a WR corps that will be without both Kendrick Bourne (knee, IR) and DeVante Parker (concussion). In New England's loss to the Commanders in Week 9, Douglas caught five of his seven targets for a team-high 55 yards.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Another limited session
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Douglas (ankle) remained a limited participant at practice Thursday.
Douglas was also limited Wednesday, so unless he's listed as a full participant Friday, chances are the rookie receiver will approach Sunday's game against the Colts with an injury designation. If Douglas is available this weekend, he'll continue to be a key target in a New England receiving corps that will be without both Kendrick Bourne (knee) and DeVante Parker (concussion) .
Douglas is more of a long-term Fantasy asset, but the Patriots need explosive plays and he can give them a couple on the short routes he separates from defenders on. Indy's zone-heavy defense also helps Douglas as far as finding space to make catches without having to win deep downfield. If you bank on volume, it's possible Douglas lands between 10 and 12 PPR points. I'd start him over the Packers WRs, Michael Thomas and Tyler Boyd.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Limited by ankle issue
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Douglas was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
Douglas appears on the Patriots' first Week 10 injury report after he paced the New England receivers in offensive snaps (53) and receiving yards (55) in this past Sunday's loss to the Commanders. With no reported setbacks in the contest, Douglas' limitations Wednesday may well be maintenance-related. In any case, he'll need to practice fully by Friday in order to avoid heading into Sunday's game against the Colts with an injury designation.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Week 10 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
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With DeVante Parker (concussion) and Kendrick Bourne (knee) out of the picture, we were hoping Douglas would step into a larger role for the Patriots Sunday, and that's exactly what happened. The rookie led all wide receivers in snaps and ran a route on 38 of 46 pass plays, which also led the team. His production was modest, but you have to like the role with a young, ascending player. I'm not sure how much upside Douglas (or, frankly, anyone) has in this offense, but if anyone can tap into some, it's probably the rookie.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Team's leading receiver in Week 9
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Douglas caught five of seven targets for 55 yards and rushed once for no gain in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Commanders.
Douglas led the Patriots in receiving yards while tying Hunter Henry and JuJu Smith-Schuster for the team lead in targets. With Kendrick Bourne (knee) done for the season, Douglas has become New England's top receiver on the outside, at least until DeVante Parker (concussion) returns. Douglas has 20 targets over the past three games, but the 2023 sixth-round draft pick is still searching for his first NFL touchdown heading into a Week 10 matchup with the Colts in Frankfurt.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Sleeper WRs
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I'm excited about the setup for Douglas this week after Kendrick Bourne (ACL) was lost for the season, along with DeVante Parker (concussion) being banged up. In Week 8 at Miami, Douglas led the New England receivers in snaps (41) and caught a season-high five passes on seven targets. He only managed 25 yards, but he has a great matchup in Week 9 against Washington. The Commanders are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to receivers, and Douglas could have his breakout game this week. In deeper leagues, you can also take a flier on JuJu Smith-Schuster or Tyquan Thornton, but I like Douglas as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all formats.
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Patriots' Demario Douglas: Could take on expanded role
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The Patriots are expected to lean more heavily on Douglas in the passing attack in the coming weeks after Kendrick Bourne (knee) sustained a season-ending ACL tear in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.
In Week 8, Douglas led the team's wide receivers in snaps (41) and caught a season-high five passes on seven targets for 25 yards. With Bourne on injured reserve and DeVante Parker in the NFL's concussion protocol, Douglas will likely be busy Sunday against the Commanders. If Parker is sidelined, JuJu Smith-Schuster and possibly Tyquan Thornton could also be in store for expanded roles in the team's thinned-out receiver ranks. The season-long absence of Bourne should enable Douglas to maintain steady volume moving forward, making him particularly interesting in PPR formats.
