5 things you need to know for Saturday

Hey there football fans! Here are five things you need to know to start off your weekends:

According to Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots suspect WR Julian Edelman has torn his ACL, although it is not “definitely” known, An MRI is scheduled for Saturday to confirm the extent of the injury.

Only DeAndre Hopkins and Antonio Brown amassed more snaps among wide receivers than Edelman in 2016, who totaled 1,090. The veteran also posted the 20th-highest receiving grade among wide receivers last year with 82.9, higher than any other New England receiver, including new addition Brandin Cooks.

Edelman was prolific from the slot in 2016, boasting the highest yards per route run among all qualified wide receivers with at least 50 targets, with 2.42.

Miami Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi looked like he was in midseason form Thursday night against the Eagles. The running back ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns, forced three missed tackles running the ball and averaged 5.1 yards after contact. With this kind of performance, Ajayi looks like he could repeat his impressive 2016 season.

In 2016 Ajayi was one of the most elusive runners in the NFL, the running back forced 63 total missed tackles with 58 of those coming while running the ball. His elusive rating of 76.0 ranked third among runners with at least 104 touches (elusive rating uses missed tackle rate and yards gained after contact to measure a runner’s success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers).

Ajayi also gained an average of 3.46 yards after contact last season, the second-highest among 53 qualifying running backs.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports the San Francisco 49ers are expected to release LB Ahmad Brooks. The team appears ready to move on from the 33-year-old after he lost his battle with Eli Harold for the starting job at strong side linebacker.

A difference maker at the linebacker position from 2009-2013, Brooks’ production has dipped drastically the last three years with overall grades of 55.8 (2014), 45.8 (2015) and 49.5 (2016).

Brooks led the team with 31 quarterback hurries in 2016 but has struggled with 46 missed tackles since 2013 (3,461 snaps) after recording just 15 missed tackles his whole career prior (3,349 snaps).

ESPN Indianapolis Colts reporter Mike Wells, while appearing on Sirius XM Fantasy Radio, has stated that the “odds are against” quarterback Andrew Luck playing in Week 1 of the regular season, via Mike Clay on Twitter.

Luck, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, posted a career-best PFF overall grade of 91.6 in 2016, and ranked as the fourth-best quarterback.

In Luck’s absence veteran, Scott Tolzien is expected to start. Tolzien has three career starts to his name, two coming with the Green Bay Packers in 2013, and one last season for the Colts in a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he finished with an overall grade of 68.5.

So far this preseason, Tolzien has struggled somewhat under pressure, completing just 2-of-7 passes for a passer rating of 47.9. This is an area he has also struggled during his limited playing time in the NFL, taking six sacks in 45 snaps under pressure and throwing three interceptions.

According to Greg Rosenthal, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone still wouldn’t commit to a starting quarterback after Thursday night’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Chad Henne got the start but the offense still had their struggles while Blake Bortles had an up-and-down night.

Henne struggled with pressure against the Panthers, only completing one of his five attempts earning a passer rating of just 39.6 while also being sacked three times. In contrast, Bortles complete three of his four attempts under pressure for a passer rating of 104.2.

Bortles also had a higher adjusted completion percentage than Henne, completing 12 of his 16 attempts for an adjusted completion percentage of 81.3 percent compared to Henne’s adjusted completion percentage of 69.2 percent.