Patriots Stash Mack Hollins on IR, Opening Targets in New England
Hollins hits injured reserve with a calf injury after posting 15 catches for 209 yards through four games. Who soaks up his snaps?
Already the room's top target; Hollins' exit only firms up his floor.
- Hollins on IR with calf injury from Week 5 Bills win
- 15 rec, 209 yds, 0 TD in 4 games (2026)
- Doubs leads WR room: 12 rec, 203 yds, 2 TD
- Kadarius Brown could return Week 6 off ankle
- FB Reggie Gilliam also placed on IR
New England put wide receiver Mack Hollins on injured reserve Saturday, the fallout from a calf injury he picked up in the second half of last Sunday's win over the Bills. He'd already been ruled out Friday for this weekend's game against the Raiders, so the IR move simply makes the absence official — and parks him for at least four games.
Hollins wasn't a fantasy star, but he was quietly productive. Through four games this season (2026), he put up 15 catches for 209 yards and no touchdowns — good for 36 PPR points and our WR56 ranking (#176 overall). That's volume that doesn't just vanish; it gets redistributed, and that's where this gets interesting for your roster.
Who's Left Standing
The Patriots' wideout room is now Romeo Doubs, Efton Chism, Pop Douglas, and Kyle Williams. Doubs is the clear alpha here, sitting at WR35 (#100 overall) on the strength of 12 receptions, 203 yards, and two touchdowns across four games this season (2026) — a tidy 44 PPR points. He's the one who benefits most from Hollins' routes coming off the board.
Kyle Williams, by contrast, has barely registered: 2 catches for 44 yards and 6 PPR points this season (2026), leaving him way down at WR106 (#298 overall). He's a deep-dynasty name at best. The bigger wildcard is Kadarius Brown, who could be activated as early as Week 6 — the Raiders game marks his fourth missed with an ankle issue, so reinforcements are close.
New England also lost fullback Reggie Gilliam to IR with ankle and knee problems, and filled out the 53-man roster by activating special-teamer Brenden Schooler off NFI and signing cornerback Kindle Vildor off the practice squad. None of that moves the fantasy needle, but it tells you the receiver depth is genuinely thin right now.
The actionable read: hold Doubs with confidence — he was already the top dog in this room and Hollins' exit only pads his target share for at least a month. If you're streaming in deep leagues, Doubs is a fine WR3/flex play against the Raiders. Everyone else here stays on the watch list until Brown returns and the pecking order settles. Don't burn a roster spot on Williams.
