“Meanwhile, the slot in New England -- which was a staple over the years with Troy Brown and Wes Welker, among others -- could use a rebirth. It was expected that Douglas would be the top option in 2025, but Diggs’ arrival could alter plans at times,” Reiss writes. Diggs saw 43 percent of his snaps in the slot with the Texans last season, but they also had the No. 1 receiver that the Patriots lack in Nico Collins. Reading between the lines, this could be a tough scene for PPR scam Pop Douglas, who had a 66/621/3 line in 17 games last year. Diggs operating out of the slot for a large part of his snaps would seem to further reinforce his WR2 upside in this offense.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Diggs’ contract includes $26 million guaranteed. The 31-year-old tore his ACL in Week 8 last season and may not be ready for Week 1. However, the Patriots needed a veteran wide receiver to add to a middling group that saw no wideouts over 700 receiving yards and just DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte over 400 yards last season. With less than half of the deal guaranteed, the Pats mitigate the risk that Diggs does not return healthy and productive. He was a Pro-Bowler and 1,000-yard receiver each season from 2020-2023 with the Bills and caught 47 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns for the Texans in 2024. Still a top target-earner when healthy, Diggs will aid QB Drake Maye’s development while the Pats grow the offense. Fantasy managers can treat Diggs as a stash that will have fantasy WR2 upside as the season goes on.

He’s also reportedly “already running full speed and gaining increased comfort cutting and changing direction” per Reiss’ league sources. Diggs tore his ACL in Week 8 and is questionable for the start of the season. The fact that New England’s beat writers are putting out positive press about Diggs certainly seems to point to the idea of him signing there as still in play following a visit last week. No team has a greater need at wideout than the Patriots right now, and to date this is the only visit that Diggs has taken. Reiss says that “neither side seems to be operating with heightened urgency at this point.”