RADIO
Damien Harris 2019 Outlook: A Rookie in Bill's Stable
6 years agoSomehow the lead back in Alabama the past two seasons is considered the other guy entering the NFL. Maybe it is because he is coming in after his senior season instead of leaving early. Maybe not. With the past track record of Alabama running backs in the league it should not really matter. They are a hope and a prayer anyway.
Although Josh Jacobs was drafted to be an immediate starter in Oakland, Damien Harris went to a better team in New England. With early reports suggesting he is looking good and getting more reps than Sony Michel who knows what is going to happen this season.
The backfield in New England is as confusing as theoretical physics and more crowded than Disney World at Christmas. With Rex Burkhead coming back this season, he will be added to the mix of Harris, Michel, and James White. White seems to have the passing down work on lockdown, and this means the rest of the guys will be fighting for the carries. Michel came on strong at the end of 2018 after missing much of training camp and the early season with a knee injury. He shone in the playoffs, and after scoring the only touchdown in the Super Bowl he is the lead back coming into camp. If Harris wants to take the position from him it will be a challenge. We saw the explosiveness of Michel last season and he is a tough player. A player Bill Belichick loves to use, at least until he doesn’t.
As long as Harris is buried on the depth chart, he is not of any fantasy value. The Patriots run game consists of a lot of short passes to James White. If Michel keeps the early down work, as projected, this does not leave a lot of meat on the bone for Harris or Burkhead. In dynasty leagues he is a good pick in the middle of the second round. As for redraft leagues? Not so much. If you are willing to take him with the knowledge, he may not do anything this season you can take him in the last two rounds of your draft. Just be aware it may be a wasted pick and he may be someone you end up dropping in a waiver move to get that week’s big-name addition.
