Fantasy Football: The Top 10 Rookie Running Backs for 2018
6) Sony Michel, New England Patriots
Average Draft Position: 5.02 (RB25)
Projected Fantasy Points: 92.73 (RB37)
After years of going cheap at the running back position, the New England Patriots burned a first-round pick on Sony Michel. That's gotta mean something, right?
There's so much to like here. Not only are the Pats a near lock to be one of the league's best offenses -- they've been in the top eight in points scored in each of the last 11 seasons, including the Matt Cassel year -- but New England's depth chart isn't too intimidating.
While James White and Rex Burkhead are good players who will have roles, there are 212 vacated touches (180 carries and 32 receptions) up for grabs with Dion Lewis gone. Yippee.
But won't it be a huge headache to own a Bill Belichick running back?
For one, the narrative that New England's backfield is a nightmare for fantasy is a little overblown. When Lewis was healthy last year, he got good, consistent volume. He saw at least 10 carries in 10 of the Pats' final 11 contests, averaging 14.6 rushing attempts per game in that span.
Secondly, if you're blindly fading New England running backs, you're missing out on some juicy fantasy seasons in recent years. In standard formats, the Pats had the RB7 in 2016 (LeGarrette Blount) and RB12 in 2017 (Lewis).
Of course, there's no guarantee Michel walks into a high-volume role as a rookie -- not because it's New England but because he's a rookie and the NFL is hard -- and he did have, gulp, fumbling issues in college. But draft capital and opportunity matter, and he checks those boxes in a big way.
