Fantasy Football Strategy: 4 crowded backfields to avoid
Fantasy Football Strategy: 4 Crowded Backfields to Avoid
New England Patriots
Current Depth Chart:
- Sony Michel
- James White
- Damien Harris
- Rex Burkhead
Another year, another cluttered backfield in New England. In 2018, the Patriots’ primarily used a timeshare between rookie Sony Michel, and James White. While Rex Burkhead was out for half of the season, he did have a small role when he was active.
Michel led the team in carries, and rushing touchdowns during the regular season. He really turned it up in the postseason, where he scored six touchdowns in three games. Michel had the second most fantasy points per game among running backs in the postseason as well (23.8). He is currently being selected as the RB25 but brings almost nothing to the table in the passing game.
James White had the better overall season due to his effectiveness in the passing game. He hauled in 87 balls on 123 targets. That was good for over 17 fantasy points per game, which made White fantasy football’s RB7 by year end. It may go under the radar, but White took a backseat in the postseason to both Michel, and Burkhead as he was out-touched by both. White is just behind Michel in terms of ADP, as he is going off draft boards as RB27.
Now, the Patriots have added Damien Harris into the mix. They selected Harris in the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL draft, adding even more depth to the running back position. Spending this type of draft capital on a position that didn’t need much of a boost does raise questions when analyzing this backfield for Fantasy Football purposes. Harris is getting some attention as well, with an ADP of RB46.
It is very likely that all four of these running backs make the 53-man roster. With that being said, we should expect Michel/Harris to handle a bulk of the carries, with White/Burkhead contributing in the passing game. Last season with James White finishing as the RB7 is an outlier. The last time the Patriots produced a Top 10 running back was back in 2004 when Corey Dillion was RB8. Expect the workload in New England to be evenly spread out between 2-3 backs. Unless they come at the right price, this is a situation that should be avoided.