2020 Dynasty/Fantasy Week 7: Game Analysis: 49ers 33, Patriots 6

I take notes during the live watch. I re-watch the game on tape looking for hidden clues to report on. Here are my notes/takes on what I saw and how it related to FF 2020. I write anywhere from 1,000-3,000+ words on each game, and I have to move fast to get to all of them through the week…so, please forgive any typos/grammar.

I can’t substantiate it, but I’ll just say it anyway – this was the worst played game I’ve ever seen from a Bill Belichick team. No joke, with little hyperbole…the Patriots played like they did not care. Their young players are giving an effort, but are mostly all mediocre talents. The veteran players are mailing it in. I saw some defenders in position/running towards ballcarriers in position to make tackles…and then slowing up and not even trying.

Several Patriots players opted-out before the season started. Some are opting out while going through the motions on the field. If I’m Belichick, I have to be totally embarrassed and question why I’d even want to return to this mess in 2021 – he needs to blow everything up and change offensive coordinators and go through a 1-2 year rebuild…all while Tom Brady currently plays better than he has in a decade and the Buccaneers are instantly 10x better than what Belichick has woven together.

The sure sign of NFL coaches going into a decline phase of their career…seeing them pop up in commercials. Belichick’s best work this season has been for Subway, not Robert Kraft.

This Patriots group has one last stand hope…beat Buffalo this week. I think the Pats are going to get obliterated and thus effectively end the season and start giving away veteran next week and using the rest of the season as a training camp for young players. If they beat Buffalo, they’re still ‘in it’ but they aren’t going anywhere even if they do make the playoffs. I think they lose to the Bills and pack it in for 2020 – cutting Cam, trading/cutting Edelman, etc.

Of course, I thought the 49ers were dead after Week 5, after getting crushed by Miami…but they’ve beaten the brakes off of two decent teams since (LAR and NE). The schedule is coming for SF now: at SEA, GB, NO, BYE, at LAR, BUF the next five games could send them to (5-7)/(6-6) and scuffling to get to 9 wins and a wild card. If the 49ers win 11+ games and win the NFC West, with all their injuries, Kyle Shanahan deserves a permanent Coach of the Year award/prize.

Fantasy Player Notes…

 -- Here’s how bad the Patriots played this game…4th/5th-string RB Jeff Wilson (17-112-3, 2-8-0/2) ran for 100+ yards and 3 TDs just in just 2+ quarters of play. He got hurt on his 3rd TD run and left the game right after. He might have had 200+ yards and 5 TDs the way he was running (untouched by a soft NE defense).

When Wilson left, UDFA rookie JaMycal Hasty (9-57-0, 1-16-0/1) continued the party. Hasty looks pretty good and is in a position to be a shock RB1 this week…even against a good Seattle run defense.

I know it won’t be Jerick McKinnon (3-0-0) as an RB1 this week…he died and went to RB heaven about 3 weeks ago.

Tevin Coleman could spoil the Hasty party by being active for Week 8, but he’s probably going to return for Week 9. Hasty has a 1-2 week run in him before Raheem Mostert returns.

 -- It’s simplistic, but let’s run with it…Brandon Aiyuk (6-115-0/7) is kinda Deebo like, a more wiry, quicker twitch version. So, with Deebo out it’s likely Aiyuk becomes that WR1-1.5 that Deebo was starting to track into to (until Deebo returns).

The 49ers have no other options at WR, so expect Aiyuk to see 2-4 carries and 10+ targets a game with Deebo out…and gets a very ‘giving’ Seattle pass defense).

 -- Cam Newton (9-15 for 98 yards, 0 TD/3 INTs) career probably comes down to the Week 8 game at BUF. If the Pats win and Cam is good…the season is temporarily saved. If Cam throws 2-3 picks in a crushing defeat, Belichick will trade him or cut him Monday after Week 8’s game.

A big loss to the Bills means the Patriots season is done and they might as well see what they have with Jarrett Stidham (6-10 for 64 yards, 0 TDs/1 INT), which doesn’t look like a whole lot at this point.

Stidham has completed 48.1% of his passes with 1 TD/4 INTs so far in his career…this thing looks like it is going down fast.

 -- The Patriots have nothing exciting to throw to, is part of the problem…

Jakobi Meyers (4-60-0/6), I believe, with the way he played this game…has earned a starting role. The only WR that I’ve seen play with any juice for NE in weeks.

Meyers is a very sound, savvy, limited athlete WR. He has some Travis Fulgham upside…where the opportunity presents itself and he seizes it as a professional WR – but this passing game is nothing that will catapult WRs to fantasy glory. If it ever does, it could be Meyers this week. Cam was leaning on him hard for a stretch before everything died.

 -- The best weapon on the Patriots’ offense is Damien Harris (10-58-0, 1-12-0/1). I think we’re going to see a heavy workload from Harris this week, as their only hopes to control/defeat the Bills. Harris is the future of the Pats backfield. And the future might not be so congested next year when the rebuild removes Rex and James White among others.

 -- Two weeks ago, I declared the 49ers-DST dead…and since then they have two excellent FF events back-to-back. You can’t use them v. SEA this week…not Week 9 v. GB…nor Week 10 at NO…nor Week 11 on BYE. Are you prepared to hold them through the next 4 weeks to get to the LAR-BUF matchups Weeks 12-13? From Weeks 8-13…not a confident use game in there.

If they shut down Seattle, I have to fall on my sword and declare that I don’t know anything about football…

The 49ers, prior to the last two weeks have been giving up a ton of points for their last 10+ games going back to 2019.

Snap Counts of Interest:

48 = Byrd

41 = Meyers

31 = Edelman

11 = Harry

25 = Burkhead

21 = Harris

10 = White

37 = Wilson

15 = Hasty

12 = McKinnon