Stefon Diggs signs with New England Patriots: How’s the fantasy football fit?

No team entered this offseason with a more dire need at wide receiver than the New England Patriots. After making several overtures to big names like Chris Godwin and striking out, the Patriots took a visit with Stefon Diggs last week. Both parties must have felt solid about the events of that deal, as they ultimately ended up signing Diggs to a three-year deal worth “up to” $69 million, with $26 million guaranteed.

I honestly couldn’t care less about whether this figure looks too large for Diggs at this stage. The Patriots have more cap space than they can possibly spend because they have so few great, extension-eligible young players. Free agency is over; this doesn’t prevent them from making another move. Since it’s only $26 million guaranteed, they can likely move on next season if this doesn’t work out.

The biggest variable for Diggs entering this season are the medicals. He is a 31-year-old receiver coming off a late October 2024 non-contact ACL tear. Even if this deal has some juiced up total value, the fact New England made this move is a positive sign they felt good enough about the recovery. Diggs is reportedly on track for Week 1 in his rehab.

If Diggs is in the clear medically, this move makes all the sense in the world for New England, as he showed on film last year that, while he’s not at his prior elite form, he’s aging gracefully.

Diggs is the type of man-coverage-beating wideout Drake Maye and this passing game craved last season. No one on the 2024 Patriots offense could consistently get open. Reception Perception showed Diggs can still beat man coverage. For that reason, I think he can play a bit more outside than he did in Houston when he took 46% of his snaps in the slot while paired with two pure perimeter options. That will allow New England to still be able to develop slot-leaning young players like DeMario Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk in training camp.

The career breakthrough of Josh Allen in Buffalo coincided with the arrival of Diggs, thanks to his ability to separate and win at all levels, something other Bills receivers didn’t provide. No one should expect Diggs to play at that level but if he can even just provide a diet version of that impact for Maye, it will be huge in the second-year passer’s breakout chances. Maye and Allen share some DNA as quarterbacks from a stylistic perspective.

Fantasy drafters are ready and willing to elevate Maye into the sleeper QB1 category. Adding Diggs to a barren receiver room helps the cause whenever he’s ready to contribute at a high level.

From Diggs’ perspective, he’ll be a difficult fantasy draft selection on his own. Based on last season’s Reception Perception data, I have some faith he can still play and be the type of player who ages gracefully at the wide receiver position and doesn’t just fall off the cliff. But as I always say, there are very few rules when it comes to receiver age curves and injuries always present a complicating variable. I doubt Diggs finds his way into the top-35-ranked wide receivers this season but may be worth a dart throw beyond that range.

Lastly, there is no shot this is the last wide receiver move for the Patriots this offseason. They could even still take Travis Hunter — whom I view as the clear WR1 prospect in this class if he focuses his time on that side of the ball — fourth overall if the board falls right.

If the Patriots come away from this offseason with Diggs, Hunter, Mack Hollins and a new coaching staff that can get more out of some of the young players, Maye and co. are suddenly cooking with gas. Now, let’s just make sure we get some more answers on the offensive line.