With Deion Branch and Wes Welker set to become free agents and a disappointing Chad Ochocinco on the roster, the Patriots have some serious choices to make about the WR spot for 2012.

Deion Branch returned to the Patriots last season after four-plus years in Seattle and learned one thing in a hurry: Whimsical chatter about Super Bowl XLII is a nonstarter in New England.

Time to check in with a few notes on the Chiefs-Patriots matchup Monday night at Gillette Stadium.

Now with the Patriots, the value of Chad Ochocinco Is destined to rise. Just don’t expect him to re-emerge into an elite fantasy wideout.

Could this be the week? All signs point to a labor agreement being announced at some point in the next few days – fingers crossed. And when it happens, be sure to come to NFL.com and tune into NFL Network for round-the-clock coverage of everything you need to know to get ready for the start of training camp and the preseason.

Happy 32nd birthday, Deion Branch. In tribute to the coast-to-coast wideout (Patriots/Seahawks/Patriots), here’s a look at the exclusive club to which he belongs, one that has gotten a bit larger in recent years. Yes, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. But you also need someone to catch the football. The last eight Super Bowl MVPs have come from the offensive side of the ball. While five have been quarterbacks, there have also been three wide receivers to earn the game’s top honor over that span. Compare that to the first 37 Super Bowls, when a wideout was named MVP only three times. What’s interesting about all six of these receivers’ Super Bowl performances was that, when it was all said […]

A few nuggets at halftime of the Jets-Patriots divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium.

There will not be a devastating knee injury for Wes Welker in this regular-season finale.

Pulling in a couple of fantasy thoughts from the Twitterverse.

Some playoff dreams were dashed on Monday night. And no, not just the Jets. (Although in fairness to the Jets, they should make the playoffs. But coach Rex Ryan would just have a hard time getting those guys on plane to fly to New England in January.)

A pretty strange Week 12 is in the books. Many fantasy studs failed. One is lost for the season. And now we are in the final week of the regular season for fantasy leagues. Let’s get to it.

WR Deion Branch is going home to New England, and while it makes sense from a football standpoint, do not expect much in terms of fantasy value.

Following Wednesday’s trade sending Randy Moss back to Minnesota, many are connecting the dots on the idea of the Patriots acquiring a wide receiver.

The Seattle Seahawks have let it be known that T.J. Houshmandzadeh is available. But at what cost is the team willing to make a move?

It’s the morning after … nine games were on the NFL preseason slate on Saturday night, so let’s take a bullet-point look on thoughts and observations from around the league.