As a Patriots fan, this season has been so foreign to me that I’m not even surprised anymore. The only remaining constant from the previous few years is the carousel of running backs that produce for the Pats, but don’t seem to be relevant in fantasy formats. Remember Jonas Gray? 38 carries, 201 yards and FOUR tuddies against the Colts in 2014, poised to be a massive waiver hit, and the next week he didn’t register a carry. This style of mystery moves from the RB position in New England had sort of relegated their position group to fantasy purgatory, with maybe a few bench stashes every season and then a hate drop the next week after posting a dud.
This year is different however, as now without Brady the Patriots are a run-heavy offense, and a lead back has emerged in Damien Harris. After Rex Burkhead went down this week against the Texans, combined with the fact that the Pats were trailing most of the day, James White emerged as an intriguing Week 12 Waiver Wire option going forward. Twenty-one targets over the past 5 games is a healthy number, and with a tough five-game set coming up (Ari, LAC, LAR, Mia, Buf), he is likely to see a bump in targets.
Someone who may throw a wrench in this is Sony Michel. Michel came off IR this week and was active for the game against Houston, but failed to register an attempt. Previously a lead back for the Pats, Michel is still a good back and a better fit this year in this run scheme than previous years.
It’s interesting to see what the Patriots do in the next few weeks in terms of their backfield. The team identity is definitely power run, and they have the pieces to do so, but the strength of their future schedule doesn’t bode well for running the ball 40 times. In terms of waivers this week, maybe throw a flier at James White, but beware of the connotation that comes with a Patriots back.
