Just like with the Seahawks, we know how valuable it is to have a New England Patriots running back on your roster. The team swims in touchdowns, amping up everyone's value across the board. It's just hard to figure out who will benefit.
The team brought in Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead over the offseason, adding them to holdovers James White and Dion Lewis. It seemed early on as if Gillislee would get the goalline work, but a hamstring injury sent him to the sidelines.
Then it was Burkhead who shot up draftboards after a big performance in the team's second preseason game.
Burkhead to the house❗️
✊️ @RBrex2022 #ProBigRedpic.twitter.com/LEExYraZL9
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) August 20, 2017
But then Burkhead missed time with an injury of his own, preventing him from snatching the job out of Gillislee's hands.
So, how are we supposed to handle this situation? It's not entirely clear, but we still want to get exposure even with the potential frustrations.
Gillislee has value simply because he still seems to be the favorite at the goalline. The messiness with his situation has also helped cut into his draft cost.
It's a steep price to pay, but not many guys going in the sixth round present you with a whole lot of certainty. The upsides of his snagging that role in the offense are immense enough to warrant investment.
The same, though, can be said of Burkhead. With Julian Edelman out for the season, there are snaps to be had in the slot as a wide receiver. Burkhead's an option to fill part of that role.
Fantasy guys: Patriots radio analyst @scottzolak thinks Gillislee ends up being bellcow & Burkhead picks up slack in slot for Edelman.
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) August 29, 2017
This means it's possible that both Gillislee and Burkhead have weekly value for fantasy. But this is looking at things from the most optimistic angle humanly imaginable.
At the other end of the spectrum is the chance that all four backs see time, and even in a high-scoring offense, it's hard to get excited about that. We know how delectable this situation could be, but heartbreak is also well within the realistic range of outcomes.