On a day where Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were virtually non-existent in the passing game, James White was Tom Brady’s favorite target once again. He led the team in targets (9), receptions (7) and receiving yards (92), and combined with 26 yards on 6 rushes finished the day with a solid 18.8 PPR points. Even with Sony Michel healthy and Rex Burkhead back from his stint on IR, White remains the focal point of New England’s backfield in an offense that seems to be peaking at the right time. White is 2nd in the league to Christian McCaffrey in both receptions and receiving yards for a running back, and his prized role in the Patriots offense isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The Patriots have made their passing game more and more conservative as Tom Brady has aged, and this observation from Week 13 illustrates that perfectly. While Brady can still air it out with the best of them, the majority of New England’s passing offense consists of quick screens, slants, and dump offs: also known as the holy trinity of James White plays. While the Vikings clearly gameplanned to slow down many of New England’s top pass-catchers, they failed to account for White, especially in the first half. It resulted in a top-10 performance for White without even finding the end zone.
Week 14 takes the Patriots to Miami to face the Dolphins, who White torched for 112 yards and 2 TDs back in September. This 31.2-point showing was White’s best fantasy game of the year, making him a surefire RB1 in the rematch.
