The New England Patriots are entering a 2019 campaign with a whole lot of uncertainty in their receiving corps.

Gone is longtime Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who announced his retirement earlier this offseason. Also, wide receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Chris Hogan departed via free agency, and fellow wideout Josh Gordon is serving an indefinite suspension.

So, the Patriots are down four key receiving threats from a year ago, and while they drafted N'Keal Harry and signed veterans Demaryius Thomas and Dontrelle Inman, New England's passing game is clouded in doubt.

That makes Julian Edelman's presence all the more important for Tom Brady and Co. going into next season, and it also makes Edelman an even more dependable pick in Fantasy Football.

Julian Edelman, Patriots

But where should you target Edelman in your draft?

Well, let's keep this in mind: in 2018, Edelman was targeted by Brady 108 times in 12 games, good for nine targets per game. Of course, that was with all of the aforementioned receivers still on the roster.

Now, with all of them gone and with the Pats relying heavily on a rookie in Harry, an aging Thomas coming off of an Achilles injury and a mediocre Inman who caught just 28 passes with the Indianapolis Colts this past year, you have to think Edelman's targets will increase.

In 2016, Edelman was targeted a career-high 159 times, and he ended up hauling in 98 receptions for 1,106 yards and three touchdowns as a result. It's entirely possible Edelman earns more targets in 2019, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he leads the NFL in that category.

Brady and Edelman have developed a connection for the Patriots that has been going strong since 2013, so there is a pretty significant track record of trust between the two veterans. That means Brady will likely lean on Edelman a lot this coming season, so 170 or more targets is not impossible.

The thing with Edelman is that he is not a big-time red zone threat, as his career high for touchdowns is seven. This past year, he scored six touchdowns, so even if Brady does target him a lot, don't expect Edelman to rack up touchdowns.

It's just not his thing.

However, because Edelman may very well end up catching 100 balls for over 1,000 yards, he is actually a sneaky good candidate for your No. 1 receiver role, as the consistency and the overall production will be there.

Will Edelman put up 1,800 yards like Julio Jones is able to do? No, but for a guy who is not generally considered to be one of the best wideouts in the NFL and can be overlooked in fantasy drafts because of it, you might be able to nab him a bit later on and get pretty great value out of him.

Julian Edelman, Patriots

Heck, if you really want to stack up on top-level receivers, you might even be able to land Edelman as an extremely high-end No. 2.

Basically, Edelman likely won't be a top 10 pick in fantasy even with all of the circumstances mentioned above, so you might be able to land him in the third or fourth round.

It's a bit risky, as there is a chance he goes a bit earlier, so if you really want Edelman on your team, you might bite the bullet and spend a second-round pick on him.

Just know that because of all of the other wideouts ranked ahead of him, he will probably be available later, and he could end up being an absolute steal.