RADIO
Less than a week after abandoning the run against a stingy New York Jets defense, fantasy owners should follow the lead of the New England Patriots, and stay away from Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount.
Lewis continues to nurse an abdomen injury that kept him out of action last week. He remains questionable for tonight’s action against the Miami Dolphins, and was limited yesterday in a practice that head coach Bill Belichick said his "mother could have gotten through,” according to ESPN. All signs are pointing to a game time decision.
Blount simply doesn’t have the talent or value of Lewis, and although has had explosive games for the Patriots in the past, Blount is a mere boom-or-bust. The Patriots could chose to run the ball more this week, but the smart play would be to go with other options at running back and focus more on the plethora of weapons quarterback Tom Brady has at his disposal.
Facing the resurgent Dolphins tonight, expect the Patriots to again rely heavily on Brady’s multimillion-dollar, fantasy-point-getting-right-arm. Miami’s defense has given up the 12th most fantasy points to wide receivers this season and allowed 273 passing yards to a confused and struggling Houston Texans team last week. Brady is and has been a viable option for fantasy owners weekly. It's been contagious in New England.
Not much needs to be said about tight end, Rob Gronkowski, and wide receivers, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, as they continue to established themselves as Brady’s favorite targets. But like all the greats, Brady spreads the ball, making wide receiver, Brandon LaFell, a reliable starter on fantasy lineups as well.
LaFell has spent most of the season on the physically unable to perform list, allowing him to fully recover from a foot injury. He returned last week against the Jets, although his first game of the season was anything but memorable. LaFell caught two passes on eight targets, adding six drops to his nightmarish season debut.
This shouldn’t discourage fantasy owners, though, as Brady has reassured LaFell’s role on the team. “Everyone has confidence in him,” Brady said, according to Comcast Sportsnet. “It was his first game back, and those weren’t all easy catches…He’s been great here and we’re going to keep finding ways to get him the ball.”
Come on, has Brady ever lied?
