The New England Patriots lost their first game of the 2015 season Sunday night against the Denver Broncos, but that was far from their primary concern in the aftermath.
Superstar tight end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski went down after suffering a knee injury in the fourth quarter, which was the latest setback for an offense that was already without playmakers Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Dion Lewis.
Fortunately for Tom Brady and Co., tight end Scott Chandler scored a touchdown and filled some of the void with 58 receiving yards. Here is a look at his final tallies and a fantasy outlook heading into Week 13:
Chandler’s future fantasy value completely depends on Gronkowski’s status, especially because Amendola was a limited participant in practices leading up to Sunday’s game and could return soon to steal some catches. Amendola and Gronkowski, if healthy, would knock Chandler down the pass-catching pecking order.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported the Patriots don’t believe Gronkowski’s knee injury is serious, although he pointed out there will be more tests Monday. If those tests reveal that Gronkowski could play in New England’s next game, Chandler’s ceiling is limited for fantasy purposes.
Still, it is difficult to ignore the backup tight end’s target numbers from Sunday if you are thinking about grabbing Chandler from the waiver wire (he was owned in 2 percent of ESPN.com leagues coming into Sunday’s game). He saw a team-high 11 targets, and many of those came in two-tight end sets before Gronkowski suffered the injury.
Gronkowski saw 10 targets, which is a testament to Brady’s willingness to use the tight ends, especially without Edelman and Amendola. Mike Sando of ESPN.com recognized that during the game:
The targets are nice, but Chandler hadn’t recorded a single game with 40 receiving yards all season before Sunday. He has only three touchdowns in 2015 and managed to parlay his 11 targets into only five catches Sunday because he struggled to create separation from the defense downfield.
Those stats indicate that he isn’t worth a fantasy start if Gronkowski is in the lineup, but he does have a track record in case the starter sits.
Chandler tallied 655 receiving yards with the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and caught a combined 12 touchdowns (six each year) in 2011 and 2012. If any quarterback can get the 30-year-old Chandler rolling again, it is Brady. The tight end could be waiver-wire gold with targets galore if Gronkowski is out for extensive time.
But that is an important “if.”
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