Sony Michel, New England Patriots. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Is Sony Michel a sneaky-good fantasy football value play in 2020?
The New England Patriots will have a different feel to them this fall. After 20 years in Foxborough, quarterback Tom Brady has taken his talents to the Florida Gulf Coast to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Replacing the living legend under center is former Auburn Tigers start Jarrett Stidham. He’ll have the likes of running back Sony Michel to lean on in his first year as the starter.
The Fantasy Footballers assessed what value Michel will have in his third season out of Georgia with the Patriots. He went No. 31 overall to New England in the 2018 NFL Draft. Though he has rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in both of his professional seasons, Michel has a lackluster average draft position in fantasy football leagues at RB35. Could he still be a value play for you, though?
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The guys have Michel as a guy who will be slightly better than his ADP of 35 at somewhere in the mid-to-low 20s. Essentially, Michel would be nothing more than a depth piece on your fantasy team. You’d be banking on the long-term volume play for him in the New England offense. Maybe he gets a few more touches in 2020 to help bring Stidham along in his first year as the starter?
What value can Sony Michel bring to your fantasy football team in 2020?
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While New England may have the blandest offense in the league next season, there is reason to believe Michel can break the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time next season. The Patriots should have a good defense on the other side of the ball, so that might help keep New England in more games than we should expect, even if Brady now plays for a different NFL franchise.
If you’re in a half-point PPR league, you might be better served with taking Michel over his teammate James White, as Michel is more often used as a runner than his receiving back teammate. However, if it is a full-point PPR league, go with White over Michel because it levels the playing field in terms of overall fantasy value.
In short, if you’re playing Michel a ton next fall in fantasy, your team probably isn’t the least bit good. While Michel would be a good spot starter in the flex or at RB2 if you’ve got several key players of yours on a bye, him overachieving his ADP by a few slots is truly only negligible. Thus far, Michel hasn’t shown he can be anything close to a consistent RB2 in a fantasy league.