The 2020 New England Patriots offense was unrecognizable. For two decades the NFL has gotten used to a stout offense performance from New England; particularly in the air with Tom Brady at the helm. Well, that was certainly not the case last year. The Patriots ranked 28th in total passing yards and 29th in total passing touchdowns. However, what they lacked in the air they made up for in the ground. I’ll refrain from making a really corny military pun. The Patriots had the fourth most rushing yards and were a mere three scores away from being third in touchdowns. This offseason, Belichick not only juiced up the Patriots’ passing game, but he also somehow improved the rushing offense as well. In turn, New England has turned into a fantasy gold mine that you have to at least be informed about.
Their stellar rushing attack was anchored by one of the most elite offensive lines in the league. Somehow that line got better. Belichick traded for Pro-Bowl tackle Trent Brown for what was basically a bag of chips. While they did lose borderline Pro-Bowl guard Joe Thuney to the Kansas City Chiefs, they retained the top Pro-Bowl vote-getter at the center position in David Andrews for a measly $19 million. Not only that, but they also signed a dynamic piece in Ted Karras to play a backup role. Karras would easily be a starter anywhere else. The other tackle position is filled out by Isaiah Wynn, a third-year player who has played outstanding when healthy. The guards are just as strong as the tackles, as Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu will hold it down inwards of Brown and Wynn. Mason last season had a PFF grade of 85.4, only 2.1 away from perennial All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. Onwenu, a then rookie selected in the sixth round, finished as a top-10 tackle in the NFL (PFF grade-wise) after being forced to change from his natural position at guard. In short, this New England offensive line is absolutely stacked to the brim.
A great offensive line can carry a subpar running back locker room, but, the Patriots have anything but that. Damien Harris and Sony Michel are rivaled by only Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in terms of rushing prowess. Don’t believe me? Harris was the second highest rated back in the entire NFL with a score of 90.2, trailing only King Derrick Henry by 1.5 points. Excluding one game due to injury, Harris rushed for almost 75 yards per game, which would rank seventh in the NFL. Michel was second in the NFL in attempts per carry with 5.7 an attempt. However, due to injury, we only saw him in action for nine games the whole season. Still, his rushing abilities are not in question. These two, combined with this offensive line, should easily become absolutely lethal for the Patriots as they run all over opposing defense. It couldn’t possibly get better than this, right? Wrong. Somehow, Belichick saw to it that the rushing game got even better.
The Patriots tight end room last year consisted of Ryan Izzo, a seventh round draftee, and Devin Asiasi a (then) rookie who caught two passes in his only career season. Tight end has been a glaring weakness ever since Rob Gronkowski left town, and New England hasn’t really found an answer since. This offseason, however, Belichick splurged in the tight end market, grabbing both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. Though I can rave about their elite pass-catching abilities, it’s the fact that they can be actually competent blockers in the rushing game. Having two respectable pass-catching tight ends will typically lead to better blocking success for said players, and the Patriots are likely to abuse rushing plays when both of them are on the field.
Through a dominant and flexible offensive line and two elite tight ends, any rushing game will be dominant. Add in two powerhouse backs into the mix? You have a gold mine. The big selling point though is the name value of Michel and Harris; the two people you should be targeting in this upcoming year. Not many people know Harris’ name outside of the fact that he was a solid waiver wire pickup last year “due to injuries.” While his playing time did increase due to injuries, his actual play spoke for itself. Ever since his dominant run in the 2018 playoffs, Michel’s name isn’t heard often amongst NFL fans. Because of this, Harris and Michel can be absolute steals in next year’s fantasy draft. No matter where the experts rank them next year, I’m 100% taking one of them; Harris if I had to pick just one.
