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The New England Patriots and all of his fantasy owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Head coach Bill Belichick announced Wednesday that TE Rob Gronkowski has been cleared by the Patriots’ medical staff and will not start the season on the PUP list as previously feared. So how does this change the fantasy football landscape?
Gronkowski’s current preseason ADP has been hovering in the mid-third round of most mock drafts. Most of this is due to the health concerns and the possibility of him beginning the 2014 season on the PUP list, which would’ve required him to miss the first six regular season games. Now that he isn’t even on the preseason PUP list, Gronkowski’s risk drops considerably.
With the news of his health, I fully expect his ADP to rise. While I doubt owners will start drafting Gronkowski in the first round with Jimmy Graham, I wouldn’t be surprised if his value increases to somewhere in the range of the early third round or even the late second round. Even at that price though, Gronkowski could still be a value pick.
Before his ACL injury in Week 14 of last year, Gronkowski was a beast. From Week 9 to Week 13, it looked like the Gronk was back. In a four-game streak, he averaged over 100 yards and scored a TD every week. Gronkowski is one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets, especially in the red zone. If he stays healthy and plays an entire season, Gronkowski could easily oust Graham as the No. 1 TE in fantasy.
The Patriots will likely ease Gronkowski back in during training camp and preseason to reduce the risk of any setbacks from his recovery. It would still be wise to keep an eye on how he’s progressing, but from what it sounds like, the Patriots are expecting all systems go on Gronkowski for Week 1. The Gronk is back!
Meng Song is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ms0ng, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your Google+ network.
