Tom Brady, QB - The G.O.A.T. kicks off his 19th NFL season at home in front of what should be a raucous Gillette Stadium crowd. While the 41-year-old legend shows no signs of slowing down, it will be interesting to see how he distributes his passes with an undermanned receiving corps.

Stephon Gilmore, CB - New England's top defender at the end of last season, Gilmore is now very much established as the team's No. 1 cornerback. He faces the challenge of the Texans youthful passing attack as well as the pressure of expectation in his elevated role.

Rob Gronkowski, TE - The best tight end in football is fresh off a quiet preseason and a reworked contract. Feeling better than he did a year ago when he went on to an All-Pro season, Gronkowski will be the centerpiece of the Patriots passing game yet again.

Dont'a Hightower, LB - Whether it comes in the form of tackles against the run, as a pass rusher or in coverage, getting the Pro Bowler back on defense should be a boost to the New England front seven. Hightower is a leader in many ways, back trying to help lead the Patriots defense to victory in an interesting opening day matchup.

James White, RB - The former Super Bowl hero is well established as one of Tom Brady's go-to guys in the passing game. Still, White's role could grow even more important early in 2018 given the lack of proven options at receiver.

Deshaun Watson, QB - A year ago at this time Watson was about to play his first game on the way to opening eyes as a would-be MVP candidate before tearing his ACL. Now, he's a scary threat as both a runner and a passer to a Patriots defense looking to prove itself on opening day.

J.J. Watt, DE - After dealing with injuries for the bulk of the last two seasons, the three-time former Defensive Player of the Year is supposedly back to full health. Though Watt has been relatively quiet in past games against New England, he's an obvious challenge for the new-look New England line to deal with.

DeAndre Hopkins, WR - Houston's most dangerous weapon spoke this week about being extra fired up for this year's season opener in New England. He's coming off a year in which he caught 96 passes for 1,378 yards with 13 touchdowns, so it will be interesting to see exactly what kind of attention/respect Hopkins gets from the Patriots back end.

Tyrann Mathieu, S - The former All-Pro safety's arrival in Houston seems to have flown under the radar a bit this offseason. But playing his first career game against Tom Brady, Mathieu could be key in helping defend the Patriots tight ends and running backs – likely a big part of the opening day passing attack for New England.

Romeo Crennel/Bill O'Brien - The two respected former Bill Belichick assistants lead the Texans to town looking to pull off the opening day upset. The game plans and in-game adjustments devised by the duo could play a huge factor in the end results.