Fantasy Football Training Camp Update: Stefon Diggs cleared to practice following last year's knee injury

Stefon Diggs (knee) passed his physical and will start training camp in New England on Wednesday with no limitations. That's great news for the Patriots, Drake Maye, and Fantasy managers since Diggs could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. He's worth drafting as early as Round 7.

Diggs, who turns 32 in November, signed with New England as a free agent this offseason, and he should be the No. 1 receiver for the Patriots as long as he's healthy. And that appears to be the case despite suffering a torn ACL in Week 8 last year when he played in Houston.

In 2024 with the Texans, Diggs got off to a great start when he averaged 15.2 PPR points per game in eight outings. He had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns on 64 targets, which put him on pace for 100 catches, 1,054 yards, and six touchdowns for 17 games.

It would be impressive if Diggs can replicate that level of production in New England, but you should be a little wary. Despite the quick recovery, he's coming off a significant injury, and his age isn't favorable.

We also have to see where he lines up since he might be better off playing in the slot than outside at this point in his career. He played in the slot 52.8 percent of the time with the Texans last season, which was higher than he did with the Bills in 2023 (35.7 percent). And he had a career average of 26.8 percent slot rate in Minnesota and Buffalo from 2017-23.

It might be difficult for Diggs to win consistently as an outside receiver, but we'll see what New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has planned. Diggs could be the primary slot receiver for the Patriots, although it appears like Demario Douglas will be in that role.

The good news is we get to see what Diggs can do and potentially how the puzzle comes together throughout training camp. Along with Diggs and Douglas, New England also has Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Javon Baker, and Ja'Lynn Polk competing for playing time. Just keep an eye on Hollins, who will open training camp on the active/PUP list with an undisclosed injury.

While Diggs will be the first receiver drafted for the Patriots in all Fantasy leagues, I like Douglas and Williams as late-round fliers. Douglas, if he does man the slot, could be a steal in the double-digit rounds.

He's shown flashes of his potential in the first two years of his career, but his best season was 2024 when he averaged just 8.7 PPR points per game with 66 catches for 621 yards and three touchdowns on 87 targets. Douglas could obliterate those stats as the main slot receiver for McDaniels, who has gotten tremendous production from guys like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, and even Danny Amendola in this role.

Williams, a third-round pick from Washington State, could also be a solid reserve Fantasy receiver if he starts opposite Diggs. In 2024 for the Cougars, Williams had 70 catches for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games, and he could be a big-play threat for Maye.

Aside from the receivers, we should see TreVeyon Henderson and Hunter Henry also make solid contributions in the passing game. Henderson is a breakout candidate in his rookie campaign, and I like him better than Rhamondre Stevenson this year.

At Ohio State in 2024, Henderson had 144 carries for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and 27 catches for 284 yards and a touchdown while sharing playing time with Quinshon Judkins. I plan to draft Henderson as a No. 2 running back as early as Round 6, and he should be a nice weapon for McDaniels and Maye to use out of the backfield.

Stevenson could also catch his share of passes, and he had 69 receptions for 421 yards and a touchdown on 88 targets in 2022. But I don't see him playing on obvious passing downs ahead of Henderson. That said, Stevenson actually had eight games last year with at least 12.3 PPR points, and he could still lead the Patriots in carries. I don't mind drafting Stevenson in Round 9 or later as a reserve Fantasy running back in all leagues.

Henry is worth a look in deeper leagues, especially tight-end premium formats. He had some quality stat lines for New England in 2024 when he finished the season with 66 catches for 674 yards and two touchdowns on 97 targets, and he averaged 9.1 PPR points per game.

Henry actually had seven outings with at least 12.3 PPR points, and he should still be a top target for Maye this season. And Henry might have more upside than you expect since only five tight ends had more receptions than him in 2024, and only seven had more yards.

The Patriots could be a surprise team this season, and I'm excited for Maye in Fantasy and reality. He was actually better than expected as a rookie in 2024, and he should improve this year with the addition of Diggs, Henderson, Williams, and Hollins, along with McDaniels.

In 10 healthy starts last season, Maye scored at least 21.4 Fantasy points five times. He was also on pace for 632 rushing yards, which would have been third among quarterbacks behind only Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels.

I have Maye ranked as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback this season, and he's a great late-round option in all one-quarterback leagues. He's headed for a breakout campaign in 2025, especially if Diggs can stay healthy all year.