Fantasy Football 2018: One underrated rookie at each position

Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots

Sony Michel is perhaps one of the more interesting prospects to enter the league this season. Sharing a backfield with Nick Chubb at Georgia, Michel was able to showcase his size and strength as a runner well enough to land himself at the tail end of the first round. Michel, who officially only started two games in 2017, averaged a swell 7.9 yards per attempt while finding the end zone 16 times last season.

Michel finds himself in a New England offense that loves to, well, not exactly stick to one all-purpose running back. If you were to search “committee” in the dictionary, a group photo of New England’s backfield would appear. It’s the Belichick way, and its been proven to be successful on the field. On the virtual gridiron, however, taking a Patriots running back is essentially playing fantasy football roulette. Remember the Mike Gillislee hype train going into last season?

This pick is more of a stretch than any other in this article.. A backfield that currently features James White, Rex Burkhead, Jeremy Hill and Gillislee is cloudy enough to turn away potential picks of Michel on draft day, and rightfully so. However, the likelihood of New England selecting a running back in the first round and not using him in some form, shape, or way is highly unlikely.

Should Michel live up to his potential, there’s no reason to think Belichick/McDaniels wouldn’t find ways to get the ball in his hands. Keep your eye on Michel this year, because if anybody can put a player in the position to be successful, it’s New England.