Rex Burkhead was a trendy sleeper pick in the fantasy football world when the New England Patriots signed him in the offseason, but it’s taken him a while to find his stride. A Week 2 rib injury forced him to miss four games while the Patriots tried out a mangled committee between Mike Gillislee, James White, and Dion Lewis.
Fantasy football start/sit Week 11: What to do with Rex Burkhead
Burkhead stands to benefit from the Patriots changing their backfield. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Now that Burkhead is back healthy, the Patriots shuffled things a bit. Gillislee fell down the depth chart and was a healthy scratch last Sunday. Meanwhile, Burkhead and Lewis got the lion’s share of work against the Denver Broncos. Burkhead finished the game with 63 total yards and a touchdown on 13 touches, while Lewis had 14 carries for 55 yards.
Fantasy impact: Lewis opened the game as a nominal starter, but Burkhead ended up playing more snaps. It’s the Patriots’ running game, so all we can do is see how this committee plays out going forward. Take Burkhead for what he is — a nifty playmaker with pass-catching talent who can find the end zone any given week. That’s enough to put him on the flex map against the Oakland Raiders, whose defense is giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs.
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