The NFL regular season is so close that people are putting the final touches on their fantasy teams and strategy going into the season. With it also comes the group of players who will not be on the field Week 1 due to suspensions. This week on the AFC East Roundup we will be looking at players in the division who will be starting the season on that list.
Shout out to the Buffalo Bills for earning a gold star by not having a single player on the suspension list to start the season. They are the only team in the division to accomplish that feat. With head coach Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane preaching a culture of respect and teamwork, it’s nice to see that their message is reaching all the players.
For the Miami Dolphins, they will be without wide receiver Leonte Carroo who will miss the first four games of the season due to an undisclosed substance abuse violation. Carroo has three years in the league all with Miami after the team traded up to draft him in 2016. He has only amassed 12 catches in those seasons with the team.
The New England Patriots will be without tight end Benjamin Watson for the first four games of the season for a PED violation. What happened was that Watson announced his retirement after the end of last season but then unretired to sign with the Patriots in the offseason. Watson acknowledge that during that window of not playing he took a substance that was banned by the league, which led to his suspension. When he returns, Watson is expected to be a prominent target for Tom Brady after Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement earlier this year.
Lastly, the New York Jets have two players starting off the season on the suspension list; tight end Chris Herndon and defensive end Brandon Copeland. Herndon and Copeland will each miss four games for PEDs. Copeland is a significant loss for the team as he was expected to be a starter Week 1 against Buffalo. Herndon was expected to improve off his rookie campaign last season after playing in 14 games and catching 39 passes.