Aaron Dobson, Tavon Austin inactive today

New England Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson is a surprise inactive today against the Oakland Raiders, and it will be interesting to see if this affords disgruntled free-agent signing Brandon LaFell more snaps and targets in the offense. LaFell hasn’t received much of a role in the offense after initially being expected to receive a niche role in the Patriots deep offense that is still looking for true playmakers at WR to emerge from the crowd.

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Dobson is widely viewed as the team’s best playmaking threat due to his long speed and catch radius, so it’s interesting to see that he’s out today. He doesn’t have a known injury, but it’s not like the Patriots need him active in order to defeat the Oakland Raiders. We’ll see how many targets the likes of LaFell and Kenbrell Thompkins receive in Dobson’s absence.

St. Louis Rams second-year receiver Tavon Austin hasn’t had the desired impact to this point in his career, but the speedy and explosive West Virginia product did flash some big-play potential as a rookie. Unfortunately, he won’t be out there today against the Dallas Cowboys, as he’s been listed as an inactive after being questionable on the injury report with an MCL sprain. He managed to practice on Friday and seemed to have an outside chance at playing, but Austin was never expected to push it and suit up.