Diggin' Diggs' new digs

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Stefon Diggs could be a sneaky fantasy asset next season.

I wouldn’t normally say that about a turning-32-year-old receiver coming off an ACL injury, but Diggs’ new digs provide a legitimate path to fantasy success.

Diggs signed a three-year $69 million deal with the New England Patriots on Tuesday, taking another notable free agent off the open market.

A couple of thoughts on the transaction itself:

This is much earlier than I thought Diggs would sign, even though he recently worked out for the Pats. I expected to see this news sometime during the dog days of summer, after mini-camp and OTAs had wrapped up, but before training camp.

You don’t see deals like this after the initial wave of free agency, though. I assume Diggs, nor his agent, thought he would be offered three years of term, so when that offer came across, it was a no-brainer to say yes.

We will have to see what the details of the contract are, but my guess is that this is really a two-year deal and we can expect Diggs to be released after the 2026-27 season.

This, along with drafting a receiver, is exactly what the Pats need.

Now to the fantasy impact.

Perhaps the biggest reason I like this pairing is how much it reminds me of when Adam Thielen joined the Carolina Panthers. Thielen was a year older, but he and Diggs are viewed in similar lights — once elite receiving options whose best days are probably behind them but can still contribute.

The parallels are interesting.

Thielen joined a team that was helmed by a young (rookie) quarterback in Bryce Young, who had several young or underwhelming weapons around him. The Panthers later drafted WR Jonathan Mingo, but the rest of their receiving corps was DJ Chark, Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr.

Diggs joins a Patriots team that is helmed by a young (second-year) quarterback in Drake Maye, who has several young or underwhelming weapons around him. The Patriots, whom I still expect to draft a receiver or two, have Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Pop Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk.

Theilen became the trusted safety blanket for Young and went on to have one of his best seasons ever— 103 catches, 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.

Diggs will be the trusted safety blanket for Maye and could be in store for a similar season.

Josh McDaniels’ offences are known to be complex and a mental load on quarterbacks. A veteran weapon is exactly where Maye will look to in times of uncertainty.

McDaniels will also want to take advantage of Maye’s deep-throwing ability. Maye averaged 10.1 yards per completion last season, and Diggs was once one of the premier deep threats in the league.

I don’t think Diggs will be used to stretch the field as much, but he will get his fair share of home run balls with Maye. More importantly for Diggs’ floor, I think he will be peppered with targets in the 5-7 yard range.

That’s why I’m optimistic he can have a year similar to Thielen's.

It’s been exactly five months since Diggs tore his ACL. When training camp starts, he will be a little over nine months removed from the initial injury. Obviously, the Pats have no concerns about whether he will make a full recovery, but I do wonder where his timeline puts his availability for the start of the season.

It will be imperative for Diggs to take part in training camp to get on the same page with Maye. If he misses camp, will he start the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform, which keeps him out the first month of the season)? That would be a detriment to his early success and probably keep him off the fantasy radar for the first half of the season.

Also keep an eye on that because it could determine where you will be able to draft him, or perhaps if you could grab him after the draft and stash him on your IR.

Maybe I’m a bit too bullish, but my initial thought was we could see Diggs with 85 catches, 1,000+ yards and six touchdowns next season. That would pencil him in as a solid WR2 that you could probably get in the mid-late rounds of your draft.

Otherwise known as a steal.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh