The New England Patriots' rushing game has always been tough to handicap. Sunday, all three of the team's primary running backs put up numbers, and all in different ways, but it worked for the team, as the Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins, 41-13.
Fantasy football waiver wire, Week 16: Jonas Gray, Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount all offer numbers
That was two touchdowns and 110 total yards for the three running backs. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Jonas Gray got the bulk of the team's carries, with 11 rushes for 62 yards. He added a catch for 7 more. LeGarrette Blount had eight rushes for 17 yards and a reception for 7, but did score a touchdown early in the third quarter. And Shane Vereen ran the ball six times for only 5 yards, but did score on a rushing touchdown, and he added a catch for 12 yards. In the end, Gray had six fantasy points, while Blount and Vereen each had seven.
Fantasy impact: It’s not that any of the three is a bad running back. Put any of the three in a situation as the for-sure lead back, and he’ll probably put up numbers. But in the situation in New England, Sunday’s game is just about the best-case scenario; each of the three puts up enough numbers to be relevant, but not enough to really help.
You don’t want to have to start any of these running backs in any kind of fantasy playoffs, and any player you don’t want to start is a player you don’t need to roster. Even off if a couple touchdowns and 20 combined fantasy points, it’s impossible to trust any of Blount, Vereen or Gray.
