Ankle injury leaves Watson questionable

Ben Watson again did not practice on Friday due to his sprained ankle. lthough he's listed as questionable, all signs point to the tight end skipping this weekend's game.

Maroney out

Patriots running back Laurence Maroney will miss his second straight game because of a groin injury. He is on the official inactive list for today's tilt between the Patriots and Browns. Maroney screwed over fantasy football owners by warming up on the field and then not playing last Monday night, so at least this week we know he won't play in plenty of time to finalize lineups. Sammy Morris is likely to start again and is a tremendous fantasy option.

Maroney still limited

The Patriots official injury report listed Laurence Maroney as having been a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. According to the Boston Globe, the Patriots were not in full pads on Wednesday. Reports surfaced before Maroney was held out of Monday's game with a groin injury that he was on the field during pre-game warm-ups before being de-activated at the last minute. Unfortunately, we're highly unlikely to get any sort of concrete answer regarding the status of Laurence's injured groin during the week, so we're probably looking at another dreaded game time decision in Week 5. If Maroney can suit up, he'd have a nice matchup against a soft Cleveland defense.

Thomas placed on IR

The Patriots placed tight end Dave Thomas on injured reserve on Wednesday. According to the Boston Globe, Thomas suffered a foot injury during Week 4's victory over the Bengals. He has been replaced on the roster by free agent signee Marcellus Rivers. As the No. 3 tight end on the depth chart, Thomas had no fantasy value. Neither will Rivers.

Stallworth praised

Tom Brady sung the praises of Donte Stallworth on Tuesday. "I thought Donte played his best game so far as a Patriot," Brady told the Boston Globe of Stallworth's four-catch, 49-yard effort. Considering Stallworth had a grand total of four catches and 66 yards in the first three games, it's not exactly breaking news that he had his best game in Week 4. That said, he is starting to get more involved, a fact that can't be good news for Wes Welker owners (Welker had just three catches for 22 yards in his worst game as a Patriot on Sunday). All-in-all, outside of Randy Moss, the Patriots receiving game continues to be little more than a guessing game.

Stallworth involved more

Donte Stallworth had four catches for 49 yards in Monday's victory at Cincinnati. Not a giant game by any means, but it's progress for Stallworth, who had just four receptions entering the night.

Morris picks up for Maroney

Sammy Morris was a capable fill-in for the Patriots Monday, carrying 21 times for 117 yards and a touchdown at Cincinnati. He also caught a pair of passes for 15 yards. It's the fourth straight game Morris has logged double-digit carries in; the first three came with Laurence Maroney, this effort without him. The undertow of the New England offense is serving him well.

Maroney might be a game-time call

It appears that it's not a certainty that Laurence Maroney will be able to play on Monday night. He's looking like a game-time decision, according to the Boston Herald. Maroney was limited in practice this week and is listed as questionable due to a groin injury. We'll have to wait and see whether he's listed as active about an hour before the game starts this evening.

No word on Maroney

The status of Laurence Maroney and his apparently injured groin continues to be shrouded in mystery. Maroney has been limited in practice all week and is officially listed as questionable on the Patriots Week 4 injury report. According to the Boston Globe, Maroney has not spoken to the media this week regarding his condition. That explains why the New England media hasn't shed any light whatsoever on Maroney's status. A Bill Belichick injury report simply cannot be trusted, and the feeling here is that Maroney will be able to suit up and play against Cincinnati on Monday Night. Fantasy owners who don't already employ Sammy Morris might consider adding Kevin Faulk – who would see more action alongside Morris if L-Mo is out – just in case the unexpected happens and Maroney has to sit out on Monday night. Stupid Patriots injury report.

Stallworth limited

Donte Stallworth was listed as a limited participant in practice on the Patriots Thursday injury report. He is battling a knee issue. It would perhaps help explain why Stallworth has completely disappeared from the Patriots offense if it was revealed he was being hampered by a significant injury. He has little fantasy value as arguably the fifth option in the Patriots passing offense; behind Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Ben Watson, and Jabar Gaffney.

Groin injury limits Maroney

Laurence Maroney was limited in practice on Wednesday because of a groin injury. Maroney never appeared injured during last Sunday's 100-yard rushing effort, but we can only assume he tweaked his groin at some point during the blowout win over the Bills. Given Bill Belichick's penchant for playing games with his injury report, this could be a ploy to convince the Bengals Maroney, who ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals a year ago, is not at full strength. We'll continue to monitor his progress throughout the

Maroney trying to get low

Laurence Maroney is attempting to change his running style to make himself a more effective runner. According to the Boston Globe, Maroney has been working on leaning forward more and getting low to avoid taking big hits. "[Body lean] is a major part of being a running back, so I'm trying to do it," Maroney said. "Sometimes I feel like I can't run as hard leaning forward as I can standing upright, so I'm trying to learn to run just as hard leaning as I am upright." One of the knocks on Maroney is that he has an upright running style, and he's working to alter that style so as to avoid injury and become more effective in short-yardage situations. As long as this doesn't affect his explosiveness and big play ability, this is a good thing.

Neal limited, Yates DNP

Offensive lineman Stephen Neal was limited in Wednesday's practice as he continues to deal with a shoulder injury that kept him out of action in Week 2. Meanwhile, his replacement – Billy Yates – missed practice with a shoulder injury of his own, according to the team's injury report. Something about the Patriots performance thus far tells us they haven't really been affected by the rotating door at right guard. It sounds like Neal will be ready to go by this weekend, so don't let this alter your plans to start every Patriot you can get your hands on against the banged-up defense of the Buffalo Bills.

Stallworth takes more snaps

Donte Stallworth was on the field for only nine plays in Week 1, but he participated in 39 snaps during Week 2's win over the Chargers, according to the Boston Globe. Stallworth caught only two balls for 19 yards in Week 2, but it's an encouraging sign that he's at least getting on the field in more two-receiver sets for the Patriots. According to the Globe, he participated in two more snaps than did slot receiver Wes Welker. Don't give up on Stallworth just yet; with Tom Brady's penchant for spreading the ball around he's bound to make an impact at some point.

LPP for Moss

Randy Moss was listed under the "Limited Participation in Practice" heading on the Patriots Thursday injury report. The reason give was "team decision." Moss is probably still not 100 percent recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him out most of training camp, so it shouldn't come as a surprise if he sits out a practice or two during the week until he is fully healthy. He's expected to play on Sunday night.

NFL comes down hard on Belichick

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and owner Bob Kraft and may take away a first-round draft pick as a result of their investigation into the team's illegal use of cameras to videotape the opposing sideline in Week 1. According to the Boston Globe, Belichick was slapped with a $500,000 fine, Kraft will be dinged $250,000, and the Pats will lose a first-round draft pick if they make the playoffs this year, or second- and third-rounders if they don't. Goodell has been playing hardball in his first year as the NFL's boss, and he dropped the hammer on the Patriots. The fines are irrelevant, but the loss of a first-round draft pick is a crippling blow for a franchise that's always been thought of as the most well-run organization in football. In any case, don't expect this to affect the Pats' preparation for this weekend's prime time tilt against the Chargers.

Brady on track for No. 50

Tom Brady took an LPP (Limited Participation in Practice) designation on Wednesday, according to the Patriots official injury report. He is apparently still hampered by a right shoulder injury that has had him listed somewhere on the injury report for 49 straight weeks. Please join us in congratulating Brady on No. 50, which is all but a foregone conclusion once the traditional designations are made in Friday. In the annals of sports history, Brady's consecutive-weeks-with-the-same-imaginary-injury streak should go down alongside Joe DiMaggio's hit streak, Cy Young's 511 wins, Wayne Gretzky's entire career, and Associate Editor Jon LoPuch's taco-eating record as an untouchable milestone.

NFL to punish team for video fiasco

The NewsThe NFL is expected to levy severe sanctions on the Patriots after commissioner Roger Goodell determined Tuesday that they violated league rules by having a member of their coaching staff videotape Jets' coaches as they sent signals on the sidelines during last Sunday's victory. Both ESPN and the NFL Network reported Tuesday that the sanctions could include suspensions, fines, and/or the loss of draft picks. According to the Boston Globe, head coach Bill Belichick will present his side of the story to Goodell later this week before any final decision is made. This has absolutely no effect on the fantasy fortunes of the Patriots players, except that Tom Brady might not know the defensive formations being run against him until the play actually occurs. All kidding aside, don't expect this to alter the fantasy outlook for Brady, Randy Moss, Laurence Maroney, or any other players.

Moss not on Friday's injury report

Randy Moss still wasn't on the Patriots' injury report Friday. He missed the whole preseason due to a hamstring injury, but right now all signs point to him playing in the opener. That said, you can never tell what coach Bill Belichick will pull when it comes to ailing players, so you'll want to check back for updates as the game approaches.

Samuel ends holdout

The Patriots defense received a boost on Monday when cornerback Asante Samuel ended his holdout and reported to camp. In February, the Pats gave Samuel, who intercepted 10 passes in 2006, the franchise tag, leading to the lengthy holdout. Samuel signed a one-year, $7.79 million deal, according to published reports. With Samuel back, the Patriots are full strength on defense, and should be one of the first three team defenses off the board in fantasy drafts.