Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski Fantasy Advice After Deflategate Suspension Ruling

Tom Brady is now eligible to play in all 16 of the New England Patriots' regular-season games this season after a judge wiped out the NFL's four-game Deflategate suspension. The ruling provides a major boost to the fantasy football stocks of the entire offense.

Larry Neumeister and Tom Hays of the Associated Press first reported the decision from U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. He ruled that Commissioner Roger Goodell shouldn't have affirmed the punishment based on the evidence. Brady had maintained his innocence throughout the case.

For now, the decision means the quarterback is eligible to play on Sept. 10 when the Pats open the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network notes he doesn't expect the league to file an injunction to keep him off the field, even upon a potential appeal of the ruling.

Brady's average draft position so far during the offseason has been 71st overall, which equates to the 10th quarterback off the board, per Fantasy Pros. Now that the suspension is gone, he should push closer to the top five QBs, meaning he'll likely get drafted closer to the top 40, near Drew Brees.

Brady and the Patriots seem to play their best when there's a chip on their shoulder. They just won the Super Bowl with Deflategate hanging over them like a dark cloud, and Brady tossed a career-high 50 touchdowns in 2007 amid the Spygate controversy. Expect them to come out firing on all cylinders this season to prove a point.

Another player this has a major impact on is tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The conversation throughout fantasy drafting season has been about whether Gronkowski is worthy of a first-round pick due to the overall weakness of the tight end position. This ruling solidifies him as a player who should go in the first round of 12-team drafts.

He was already getting picked No. 14 overall, according to Fantasy Pros, but this moves him into the back end of the top 10.

Along with the upticks for Brady and Gronkowski, the news also provides a boost for Julian Edelman and takes away value from the Patriots backs, with a more pass-happy approach now expected for all 16 games. They weren't overly desirable in the first place, however, due to the likely committee approach.

Those who took Brady in earlier drafts despite the uncertainty are now going to get rewarded with tremendous value. His average draft position is going to jump significantly over the next week.