On No! Another Patriot Running Back In The Mix

Fantasy owners know that the New England running situation is a complete mess.  Sammy Morris is the nominal RB1, although the disappointing Laurence Maroney is still in the mix.   Don't forget wily veteran Fred Taylor, who has looked good in camp so far.  Of course the always-present Kevin Faulk is there to make your life fantasy miserable; last season he finished with more rushing yards than Darren McFadden, Ray Rice or Leon Washington despite starting only three games.  There's no way to know how the Patriot running game will work out.

Now you can add BenJarvus Green-Ellis into the mix.   Green-Ellis was an absolute monster in the versus the Giants this week, racking up 125 yards and 3 TDS on 29 carries.  Sure, he was the only running back in the game (he had every RB carry except one) and yes, the QB was Brian Hoyer so you wouldn't expect a massive passing attack. But featured RB or not, preseason game or not, you can't overlook 29 carries for 125 yards.  Those stats demand that you take notice.

Especially since we've seen this before.  Last season Green-Ellis came out of nowhere to be a fantasy waiver darling, scoring a rushing touchdown in four straight games.   He finished with five rushing touchdowns for the season, the same total as Larry Johnson and Willie Parker.   He may have been a flash in the pan, but we're seeing that same flash again.

I'm not suggesting you draft BenJarvus Green-Ellis - he might be as low as fourth on the Patriots' RB depth chart - but his success demonstrates how uncertain the status us Patriot RB1 can be.  Green-Ellis could disappear, or he could go on another four-game TD streak.  The same could be said of Morris or Taylor or Maroney.  Green-Ellis' recent production (and the obvious desire of the coaching staff to give him an entire game's worth of playing time) should be a blaring red siren to fantasy owners that any Patriot RB you draft could see his playing time disappear at any time.   Somebody could break free from that group, or nobody could.   Drafting a New England RB carries a lot of fantasy risk with little fantasy reward.