Ezekiel Elliott: Fantasy Value With Patriots?
I called it so I can’t say it’s surprising. Ezekiel Elliott has signed a free agent contract with the New England Patriots. However, what does this move mean in terms of fantasy football? I hate intro paragraphs so I’m just going to dive right into it.
For starters, I don’t think this means anything for Rhamondre Stevenson. If you’re someone that thinks this affects Stevenson’s fantasy value, I would simply tell you that you’re uneducated. Maybe do less snake drafts and stop being a loser.
Stevenson was never going to get 100% of the carries. This is still the Patriots. He’s going to rotate backs regardless of who is on the roster. Stevenson, 25, rushed for five yards per carry on 210 attempts last year. He also reeled in another 69 receptions for 421 yards. The former Oklahoma product is going to touch the ball a lot and should remain ranked as a top tier fantasy running back.
Again, if you’re going to eat the cheese on this and let Stevenson fall, I will happily take him.
As I tried to tell you weeks ago (remember, I called this happening) this was really an indictment on the rest of the running back room in New England. In the Week one loss to the Texans in the preseason, Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong both looked terrible. You need reliable options behind Stevenson and neither Strong or Harris look like adequate contributors.
We know what Zeke is going to do. He can still pass protect, catch, and ace the short yardage stuff. Stevenson finished as RB14 last year and only scored five touchdowns. I expect that number to raise simply because a defensive coordinator isn’t calling offensive plays anymore. Elliott may vulture a touchdown or two but it’s very possible Stevenson has more scores simply by a product of the offense being better.
Elliott probably doesn’t have much fantasy value unless Stevenson goes down. In a standard league, you’re never plugging him into your lineup. Best ball, there may be a few weeks where he gets a score but it’s never consistent production you can count on. Proceed with caution and remember the old Zeke from Dallas is gone.
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