The New England Patriots have reportedly placed running back Dion Lewis on the team’s reserve/PUP list according to ESPN’s Field Yates on Tuesday. By being placed on the list, the Patriots will be without their young running back for the first six weeks of the season.
Dion Lewis to start the season on the PUP list, fantasy value takes a hit
The Patriots will be without another one of their top offensive players to begin the season. We explore the fantasy implications.
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It comes as a blow to a New England team that will already be without its star quarterback, Tom Brady, for the first four games of the year.
Fantasy Impact: Lewis could have been a late-round sleeper in 2016 for fantasy owners if he began the season in Week 1. But now with the announcement of him being placed on the PUP list, it is hard to see him being drafted in any standard fantasy setups this year.
The Patriots running back had been recovering from a season-ending torn ACL he suffered last season when news recently came about that Lewis needed to go under the knife once again. The latest surgery has increased his recovery time, hence the PUP designation, but the team is still optimistic that he will return to the field at some point this season.
If he is able to return in 2016 and produce at a similar rate that he did a year ago (12 touches per game), fantasy owners could be lining up to claim Lewis off their league’s waiver wire.
