🏈 The Pats article

What a great morning - I (The Commish) am back for another week of the Morning Huddle. For myself, and most of you, this might be a surprise, given how I continuously torch the Bengals (yup - the guy who edits this is a Bengals fan. Crazy, right?).

But some good news - This morning marks exactly two weeks until NFL kickoff. 14 days baby!!

SONY!!!!

Sony Michel has been traded to the LA Rams in exchange for two late round conditional picks (5th and 6th). But who cares what round the picks were, let's dive into the fantasy implications.

Obviously a massive blow to Darrell Henderson - adding Michel implies the Rams plan on using the dreaded RBBC (running back by committee, but you know that).

The Rams clearly do not trust Henderson’s durability as a lead back. After two years with Henderson in their system, McVay still felt the need to go get Michel. That tells you something.

Pour one out for the Henderson drafters

Adam Schefter, the most trusted man in the NFL, said today on a radio show that “Sony Michel goes to a place where he could be the lead back, probably will be the lead back, and has a chance to thrive.”

Wow. A lead back, in the Rams offense…

Don’t forget what Sony did as the Pats lead back in their 2019 super bowl run

My take: Henderson’s ADP drops 2-3 rounds and Michel becomes a round 12-13 guy. As you might’ve guessed, I will be leaning heavily toward Michel at the lower draft cost.

Why?

• Michel should be the goal-line back, a role he had with the Pats where he scored 13 TDs in his two years as a featured RB

• Henderson has just 5 career TDs.

• also: keep an eye out for Michel in your drafts, as he might not be updated in default rankings. I grabbed him in the 13th round of a draft today (his pre draft ranking was still in the 200s).  

That was a lot of Sony Michel

What about Damien Harris bro?

The Patriots backfield hierarchy is set for now:

• James White = third down and pass catching back

• Damien Harris = 1st and 2nd down bruiser

• Rhamondre Stevenson = a difficult name to spell

You never know what Bill Belichick has up his sleeve...

But, the real winner of the trade here is Rhamondre Stevenson, who has been smashing this preseason. It would not shock me if Stevenson takes this backfield by the end of the season. 

Stevenson is a great late-round, high-upside flier, as he’s currently going in the 15th round of most drafts (RB60). Plus he shares ELITE company.

If you weren’t sick about reading Patriots news, you will be

So we’ll make this short: a Patriots beat writer believes Mac Jones has already won the starting job. Cam Newton is cooked and can barely throw anymore - this is great news for all Pats pass catchers, with Jakobi Meyers getting the biggest boost as he is emerging as the team’s clear WR1 in camp.

Mac Jones is not worth a roster spot on anything but the deepest fantasy teams. And even then, grab an RB instead. Like Rhamondre Stevenson.

Way to go Teddy

Despite only throwing 15 TDs last year, Bridgewater still supported three top-24 fantasy football WRs, great news for all the talented pass-catchers in Denver. Jerry Jeudy is an even better value at his ADP of 56th overall - this makes him a top-20 WR in my books. Don’t believe me? Read this:

Tweet of the Day

Rest easy, king

Drew Lock Tweet of the Day

Just watch it.

Quick Hits

• Joe Borrow is slated to play in the Bengals final preseason game, which should do him a world of good to get his first live-action since that brutal knee injury. 

• Dak Prescott returned to 11 vs 11 team drills for the first time since July 27th, which removes any doubt of his Week 1 status.

• Trevor Lawrence was (finally) named the starter in Jacksonville. Fantasy circles have been quiet about the number one overall pick, especially considering most think of Trevor as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. All the fantasy hype has gone to Trey Lance and Justin Fields due to their rushing upside, don’t forget that Trevor has his own rushing upside.

• Yeah, we call him Trevor. Sometimes even Trev.

That is all folks, thanks for joining the Morning Huddle - we appreciate you!

- The Commish