RADIO
The New England Patriots are the most powerful offensive unit in the league. They provide fantasy value at just about every position. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis have all been among the best at their respective positions this season.
Those names have become somewhat boring as you can’t examine them on a week to week basis because you know what you’re getting when you start them. Two players on the Patriots that are less trustworthy but have great upside in Week 9 are wide receiver Brandon LaFell and running back LeGarrette Blount.
LaFell and Blount each offer the traditional “boom or bust” option. They have very low floors but quite high ceilings. LaFell is playing just his third game of the season since returning from a foot injury. In the two games, he has looked quite rusty with only six catches on fifteen targets. LaFell taking a while to get back into the in-game rhythm of things was to be expected but there’s great news to take away from his return.
Fifteen targets in two weeks prove LaFell is going to be featured heavily and often as the second wide receiver along with Edelman. LaFell has a huge role in the NFL’s best passing offense and New England should dominate the Washington pass defense on Sunday. This will be the game LaFell gets back into the swing of things as a high-end WR3. The targets have to lead to more yardage and touchdowns eventually. A game that should see the Patriots score plenty of touchdowns offers extra value to LaFell.
LeGarrette Blount is the other New England star that will have extra opportunities. We’ve already established that this game is most likely going to turn into a blowout. It’s hard to envision a scenario where Washington can keep up with the Patriots and compete for more than a quarter or two.
Blount becomes a bigger fantasy threat in games that see New England have a big lead early. With the game in hand, they should be in clock management mode for most of the second half. Dion Lewis is the better running back when the team is in a passing mode but Blount is the actual traditional running back.
This game should follow the game plan of the Patriots Week 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. After having a big lead at half time, Blount was given the majority of carries in the second half and scored three touchdowns. Blount and LaFell will give you huge upside in a likely easy win over Washington.
