Super Bowl 60 Player Ratings: New England Patriots

The week leading up to the Super Bowl is always filled with news, analysis and opinion, as the entire NFL community focuses on a single game. So I’ve compiled some particularly relevant notes and nuggets, covering just about every mildly relevant fantasy player on each team. This piece covers the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks collection arrives Sunday. If you like numbers, don’t miss this one from Aaron Schatz legendary content and our Advanced statistics from StatsHub search tool for higher level information. Enjoy and happy Super Bowl LX!

New England Patriots Player Ratings

Drake Maye, quarterback

Drake Maye’s playoff run was lackluster compared to his MVP-level regular season campaign. But he scattered all the plays in the three games – 334 total yards against the Chargers, three touchdowns against the Texans, 65 yards and one rushing touchdown against the Broncos (with part of the game in a snowstorm). It’s time to see if he can put it all together.

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• While Maye’s three opponents so far — the Chargers, Texans and Broncos — have all been excellent defenses, the Seahawks are No. 1 in passing DVOA including the playoffs (-20.1%), just ahead of Houston in second (-18.5%).

• These three previous opponents allowed the second, third and eighth fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks during the regular season, so at ninth, the Seahawks are narrowly the “softest” opponent he’s faced in the entire postseason in that regard. And they’ve allowed 30.88 and 28.56 points to fellow MVP candidate Matthew Stafford in their last two meetings.

• Maye was most effective on the long ball this season – he led the league with an absurd 1.31 EPA/dropback on deep passes, recording a 128.5 passer rating and a 52.1% completion rate, with seven touchdowns and just one interception.

• Maye has been a demon this postseason, after leading the league in scrimmages during the regular season. He rushed for 125 yards on nine scrimmage attempts, collecting six first downs and averaging 47 rushing yards per game. And while Seattle stifles against running backs, they have given up the fifth-most yards per carry to QBs (5.03).

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

Rhamondre Stevenson has stepped up a level of late – and thus largely relegated TreVeyon Henderson to the bench – with 102 scrimmage yards per game and six touchdowns over his last six games. He’ll likely need a strong game for the Patriots to have a chance against Lombardi.

• Remember how Seattle is #1 in passing DVOA, including the playoffs? Yes, they are also #1 in rushing DVOA (-31.7%). Yeah.

• In those six games since Week 16, Stevenson has recorded 17 explosive plays from scrimmage, 312 rushing yards after contact, and 6.8 yards from scrimmage per touch — although he only managed 2.8 yards per carry last week against Denver…the only team tougher against fantasy RBs than Seattle this season.

• Bad news for Stevenson’s touchdown chances: The Seahawks have only allowed two rushing touchdowns to RBs in their last 12 games – one to Kyren Williams and one to Blake Corum.

• One major bright spot for Stevenson: Including the playoffs, no defense saw more targets (7.5) or receptions (5.8) per game at the running back position than Seattle. And Stevenson’s 11.1 yards per reception, including the playoffs, is the most of any RB with at least 30 receptions in a season over the past three years.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB

• After struggling with efficiency through the first two rounds of the playoffs — 64 yards from scrimmage on 27 opportunities (2.4 per) — TreVeyon Henderson slumped to a 6.3 percent snap share in the AFC Championship, by far his lowest mark of the season. Unless Mike Vrabel and the Patriots play coy to surprise Seattle with Henderson in the Super Bowl, he could be an afterthought in Santa Clara.

Stefon Diggs, WR

• Stefon Diggs led the Patriots’ hodgepodge receiving corps this postseason with 17 targets and 11 receptions in three games, but he saw an average depth of target of just 6.0 air yards and consequently totaled just 73 receiving yards.

• The only wide receivers to surpass 60 receiving yards against the Seahawks since Week 8 are Puka Nacua (three times) and Davante Adams in the NFC Championship. This is not an encouraging prospect for the Patriots in general.

Kayshon Boutte, WR

• Drake Maye’s favorite deep threat, Kayshon Boutte, is actually behind Stefon Diggs by only two targets in the playoffs (15 total), but his aDOT of 16.9 air yards is more than 10 meters further on the ground. As a result, he comfortably leads New England with 147 receiving yards in the postseason and is easily the best bet for a “big day” against Seattle.

• That said, the Seahawks have allowed the third-lowest explosive play rate on reverses this year, including the playoffs (12.8%). And if you take the Rams’ games out of the equation — since Stafford and Nacua were apparently their kryptonite — they move to first overall (11.5%).

Other WRs

• Mack Hollins returned from injury to catch both of his targets for 51 yards in the AFC Championship. He’s a Super Bowl deep sleeper who has actually led the Patriots in target rate since Week 8 – 22.8% on 232 routes run – with an impressive 13.6 aDOT and a 69.8% catch rate.

• DeMario Douglas is another wild card in this diverse Patriots offense, as he is third in target rate over the second half of the season and has been quietly effective, leading the Patriots in EPA/route (0.17) and EPA/target (0.92).

• One last throw of darts for New England: rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams. He’s rarely used, but he’s averaging 19.6 yards per reception and has scored on three of his 11 catches this year (including a 72-yarder in Week 10).

Hunter Henry, T.E.

• Hunter Henry has had some hot spells this season – he was the TE4 with 13.35 PPR points per game for the first month and the TE9 with 13.10 points per game from Weeks 12 to 18. So even though he’s done almost nothing this postseason, he’s still a threat for a surprise performance.

• If the Seahawks have a “weak spot,” it could be the tight end position. Tight ends averaged 8.3 targets per game against them, including the playoffs – the sixth most of any defense – and during the regular season, they allowed seven tight ends to score double-digit PPR fantasy points. without touchmost in the league.

Bonus: Marcus Jones

If you’re looking for a wild pick to score a touchdown — or maybe even win the Super Bowl MVP — I’m looking at Patriots cornerback and returner Marcus Jones. There’s never been a punt return touchdown in a Super Bowl, but Jones had two this season to go with his two pick-sixes. He is also the NFL’s all-time leader in yards per punt return (14.3). Overall, no player has thrown for more defensive and special teams touchdowns than Jones (six) since entering the league in 2022. He’s a long shot, but a fun one.