What to expect from Week 4 and Roster Prediction

Finally, the regular season is almost on us and the  Patriots team that will take the field against Pittsburgh is starting to come into form. As the last game against the Giants comes up on Thursday, here are a few positions to keep in mind when you watch the game:

Fullback: With the loss of FB James Develin for at least 6 weeks, the need for a blocking back comes back into mind. Michael Hoomanawanui and Asante Cleveland will battle for that role. It’s intriguing if they go with 4 TE’s or an extra RB to take up Develin’s spot until he returns. The best bet is on Hoomanawanui, due to his experience and his staple as a great blocker.

Left Guard: With the return of Ryan Wendell, he solidifies at least one side of the offensive line. He will most likely return to his RG spot, where he started last year. Who is the Left Guard? Ryan Groy, Shaq Mason and Josh Kline are all battling for that spot. It would be interesting to see if Groy can step up and take possession due to his stout run blocking during his time in Chicago and his size (6’5, 320). Kline is on the bubble, mainly due the numbers game, but he could sneak in as the starter or the top reserve if he plays well against the Giants.

Cornerback: Probably the most publicized position of need after the off-seasons departures of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard. It looks like Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler have grabbed the starting spots, but it’ll be interesting to see who takes the last two/three spots. Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Dax Swanson are all battling for that spot. McClain and Brown look like locks, but if Fletcher shows up here, it could force New England to keep five corners and make another tough cut elsewhere.

53 Man Roster: A simple format of the final projection that could take place. Left out are the players suspended (Not Brady, of course) or on an injured list that could come back. Starter are in bold.

QB: Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo.

RB: Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden, Dion Lewis and James White.

WR: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson, Reggie Wayne, Chris Harper and Matt Slater.

TE: Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui and Michael Williams.

OT: Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer, Cameron Fleming and Marcus Cannon.

OG: Josh Kline, Ryan Wendell, Shaq Mason and Ryan Groy.

C: Bryan Stork.

DE: Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones, Jabaal Sheard, Zach Moore, Trey Flowers and Geno Grissom.

DT: Sealver Siliga, Dominique Easley, Malcolm Brown

OLB: Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, Darius Fleming and Jonathan Freeny.

ILB: Jerod Mayo and James Morris.

CB: Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Tarell Brown and Robert McClain.

FS: Devin McCourty, Tavon Wilson and Duron Harmon.

SS: Patrick Chung, Jordan Richards and Nate Ebner.

K: Stephen Gostkowski.

P: Ryan Allen.

LS: Joe Cardona.