What It Means:

Amendola underwent surgery on the left knee that bothered him in 2015, and had a bone spur removed from his ankle. The knee operation is the bigger concern. Per reporter Jeff Howe, both operations occurred "early this offseason." Howe reports there is "hope" Amendola is ready for training camp, but "no guarantee" he'll be back by Week 1. The Patriots can't be that worried, as they retained Amendola's roster spot after he agreed to a pay cut. Amendola plays an extremely hard-nose style of football that leads to numerous injuries. Even though he'll likely have some big games in 2016, he can't be counted on as a fantasy draft pick this summer.

Among the 48 wideouts to see at least 80 targets last season, Amendola ranked 37th in Reception Net Expected Points per target.