Mack Hollins Sneaky DFS Play Week 2
New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins stepped up in a big way during the season opener. Hollins wasn’t expected to be a significant part of the offense, but he ended up being one of the lone bright spots in a 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The veteran hauled in 4 of his 5 targets for 51 yards, leading the team in receiving.
He saw an expanded role in the offense once top wideout A.J. Brown exited with a right ankle injury early in the third quarter. The injury proved significant. Brown was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and officially placed on injured reserve Friday, guaranteeing he’ll miss a minimum of four games against the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills, and Raiders, with the earliest possible return in Week 6. One report over the weekend even suggested the absence could stretch to six weeks.
“Keep playing,” Hollins said matter-of-factly when asked about the loss of his teammate. “I wish life was like that, where you could wait for your guys to come back and be healthy again. It’s NFL football… The fortunate thing is we get another week to play a game.”
Hollins will likely move into a starting role in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England’s home opener. Worth noting, though: while Hollins had the best box score of any Patriots receiver in Week 1, DeMario Douglas led the team in route participation rate, a reminder that target competition in this receiver room remains real even with Brown sidelined. Romeo Doubs, who signed a four-year, $68 million deal this offseason, struggled badly in his debut and will be under pressure to bounce back.
For single-week DFS purposes, Hollins’ expanded role, deep-ball chemistry with Drake Maye, and low ownership make him a sneaky value play against Pittsburgh. Just don’t expect him to be a true difference-maker over Brown’s entire absence; his career-long numbers suggest a complementary role is more realistic than a true No. 1 workload, even with the door wide open in the short term.
