Before getting hurt in 2018, Cam Newton was on pace to being the second-highest scoring QB behind Patrick Mahomes. The year before he finished at #2 behind Russell Wilson. Two years before that he had one of the greatest QB seasons in NFL history.
It's sometimes hard to remember that Cam finished in the top 4 in five of his first seven seasons, and was nearing 6-of-8 before his 2018 career-altering injury. There's pre-injury Cam and post-injury Cam. They're two different players. Bill Belichick thought pre-injury Cam still existed. Apparently he doesn't, or at least he doesn't for now. Maybe another offseason will set things right. Or maybe he'll never start another game.
Of course, New England's third-rate receiving corps doesn't help, and not even a potential return of Julian Edelman can make this team a playoff contender. They need Will Fuller or Allen Robinson. Or Chris Godwin or JuJu Smith-Schuster. And they need a quarterback who can throw downfield. With Buffalo and Miami ascending in the AFC East, Belichick is staring at 3-4 tough intra-division games next year in addition to (according to Patriots.com) the Saints, Bucs, Titans, Texans, Colts, Panthers, Falcons, and Jaguars. Most of those contests won't be easy, even if the Pats upgrade where it matters most (and of course they'll get some key defensive players back from the COVID exempt list).
While this might sound shocking, don't be shocked if Ryan Fitzpatrick winds up here in 2021 as a stop-gap / mentor to a rookie. Or the underappreciated Tyrod Taylor (a better version of Cam Newton) gives it another go. Or Jameis Winston grows tired of being a backup in New Orleans and gets a shot at becoming the new face of the Patriots (and wow, who wouldn't want to see him face Tom Brady in one of the most fascinating matchups in years).
The point is, fantasy-wise, it's tough to bet on New England the rest of this season, and it's hard to bet on them for next unless they sign a top-14 QB. Damien Harris has looked good, but Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead still loom. Edelman will be 35. The formerly undrafted Jakobi Meyers doesn't profile as a #1 despite some breakout performances (which had a lot to do with a complete lack of receiver talent).
Fantasy-wise, Cooper Kupp didn't exactly light it up last night like I thought he would. But he delivered late and provided fantasy managers with a solid outing. Meanwhile, Robert Woods disappointed on a team-high eight targets. Instead, Cam Akers stole the show on 31 touches. In fact, the Rams ran the ball 36 times compared to 25 passes, which was obviously the right call. Goff was adequate-but-nothing-special as expected. He didn't need to do much with Akers running over New England from the opening snap.
And for the Patriots, Damien Harris was a bright spot but fell victim to playing from behind. He's as TD-dependent an RB starter as any out there. And if his late-game injury limits him next weekend, he'll be droppable in leagues whose playoffs end Week 16 (they face the Jets Week 17).
And here's an interesting stat: Patriot tight ends have only 13 catches in 13 games. I don't remember when an NFL team had fewer TE receptions in a season, ever.