DeMario Douglas
Douglas is a slot receiver who has turned a part-time job into the Patriots' leading receiving role for the last two games, and how long that lasts depends mostly on Romeo Doubs' shoulder and A.J. Brown's drops.
Role
He is a slot receiver. He played 62% of snaps in Week 1 (FantasyData) and 60% in Week 3 (CBS/RotoWire). In Week 5 he played 37 of 75 snaps, 49% (Gridiron Experts), behind Doubs with 62 and Efton Chism III with 57. In Week 6 he ran 26 routes on 35 Drake Maye dropbacks after Doubs left early with a shoulder injury (CBS, 19 Oct). Brown returned from his ankle injury that game and led the team with 10 targets. Competition for targets comes from Brown, Doubs, Mack Hollins and Chism. NBC called his looks generally low-value check-downs earlier in the year. I did not read a current depth chart or a snap tracker for Week 6, so I have no Week 6 snap share.
He has back-to-back best games of the season: 4-65-2 against the Raiders, then 7-86-1 on eight targets against the Jets, which led the team in receiving. He has been a first-team fixture since camp, with Patriots coverage calling him a top-three receiver. He gets schemed targets from the slot with Maye. If Doubs misses time, the snaps are open.
Both big games came with Brown out or Doubs leaving early, so they may not repeat at full health. NBC's writeup noted he lost a fumble and had no targets once the Patriots turned to draining the clock. Before Week 5 he had no touchdowns and a season-high of 38 yards in one game. NBC described him as a low-yardage slot receiver in an offense that spreads the ball among many receivers. Last season he played just 27% of snaps and started no games (Pats Pulpit).
Where analysts split
The question is whether Week 5 and 6 reflect a lasting role or the effect of injuries to Brown and Doubs. Early-season NBC and FantasyData coverage saw a low-ceiling checkdown slot player. The latest coverage treats his increased role as tied to Doubs' absence. Doubs' shoulder status has not been confirmed in what I read.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at WR
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