Sony Michel Injury Update Hurts Damien Harris Fantasy Outlook

New England Patriots running back Sony Michel hasn't played since Week 3 due to a quad injury. Since he's been sidelined, second-year RB Damien Harris has enjoyed something of a mini-breakout stretch, reaching at least 70 yards from scrimmage in three of his four appearances. That includes two 100-yard rushing performances as well.

However, Michel was just designated to return from the IR, which throws a serious wrench into this backfield. He won't be officially eligible to return until he's fully activated from the IR.

Given how he's played, though, Harris is the back you'd rather start in fantasy even once Michel is back.

Damien Harris Fantasy Outlook

The biggest issue with projecting Harris and Michel's usage going forward is that they're redundant. Both players profile more as early-down backs who don't contribute much in the passing game, especially with the continued involvement for Rex Burkhead and James White.

Harris has seen double-digit carries in three of his four appearances, though he hasn't received more than 1 target in a single game. He has been averaging a healthy 5.7 yards per carry on 12.3 attempts per game this season, so you have to imagine he's secured a sizable role even once Michel returns.

Michel is used extremely similarly. He averaged 8.7 carries for 57.7 rushing yards and just 1.0 targets per game over the first three weeks of the year.

Going forward, Harris will probably retain decent FLEX appeal, while it's probably best to take more of a wait-and-see approach with Michel to see how the workload shakes out. Both should be rostered in most formats.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.