Rex Burkhead (RB, NE) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 24% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Rex Burkhead ranks just fourth on the New England Patriots in carries on the year (31), fourth in rushing yards (106), and third among New England running backs with five receptions out of eight targets for 52 yards, all without a single touchdown. The great news is that Burkhead has played in just four games this year after being out with an injury between weeks three and twelve, and made his return to the Patriots backfield this past week against the Vikings. That is great news for owners in PPR leagues because, as Tom Brady has demonstrated throughout the past with Burkhead and this season with James White, New England loves to target running backs in the passing game. In his return, Burkhead got right back in the swing of things in one of many Patriots Swiss Army Knife roles, receiving seven carries for 20 yards and caught two passes out of the two times he was targeted by Brady for 21 yards.

Though he has seen a limited sample this year, the Patriots time and time again demonstrate that they want to utilize Burkhead, as his 7.8 rush-attempts per game rank second on the team behind only Sony Michel and his 1.3 receptions per game are second among the teams' running backs behind only James White (while his 10.4 yards-per-reception is better than White's by 1.5 yards). While he has seen limited work in the red-zone, the Pats have never been shy in the past about deploying Burkhead from either the running or passing game close to the end-zone, and they are still working to integrate him back into the offense after so much time off. Though New England always likes to mix it up with their weapons on offense, rest assured that Rex Burkhead will get his opportunities to be productive moving forward both in the form of carries and consistent targets.