Patriots 27, Cardinals 13 (Patriots ML(-125) Under 43.5)

Pregame: The Patriots come into play at 6-6, desperately needing a win to stay in a good position in the Wild Card race. Their defense has been outstanding, but their offense has been lackluster. Conversely, the Cardinals have almost nothing to play for. Kliff Kingsbury is coaching for his job, but it’s hard to believe that the locker room is fighting for him. This game should come down to how well Bill Belichick can limit Kyler Murray’s production.

Postgame: Unfortunately, this game will likely only be remembered as the game where Kyler Murray tore his ACL. There was a multitude of other injuries as well, but this is definitely the headline. Aside from James Conner, there weren’t really any impressive performances. We didn’t learn much in this game that we didn’t already know before.

Patriots

QB

Pregame: Mac Jones will be facing a great matchup on Monday night, but fantasy managers likely won’t look his way at quarterback. Jones is the 29th-ranked fantasy quarterback, as he sees low volume and lacks upside. Jones has thrown seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in nine games this season, and he’s only thrown multiple touchdowns in one game. Although the Cardinals allow the second most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Jones shouldn’t be started in a game where he’s favored since they’ll run the ball a lot. 

Postgame: Jones had another poor fantasy performance, completing 24-of-35 passes for 235 yards and an interception. Jones actually looked pretty good throwing the ball on Monday night, but his lack of touchdowns made it so that he wouldn’t translate to fantasy production. Mac Jones should get some important development down the stretch this year, but he shouldn’t be started in any fantasy leagues.

RB

Pregame: Rhamondre Stevenson has taken the lead role in the Patriots backfield and never looked back. Stevenson has shown how valuable a lead-role can be in this Patriots offense, as he comes into play as the eighth-ranked running back in PPR leagues. Stevenson has 734 rushing yards and 56 receptions, which makes up for a lack of touchdowns. Stevenson’s expanded role has turned him into a must-start RB1. 

Postgame: Stevenson was very involved early, with three rushes for eight yards and two catches for two yards, but he suffered an injury and didn’t return. This was extremely unfortunate for fantasy owners since there was a lot of fantasy production in the Patriots backfield. Rookies Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris played well in his absence, with five carries for 70 yards and a touchdown and eight carries for 26 yards and a touchdown, respectively. If Stevenson returns next week, he should be treated as he was before this game. 

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WR

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