The injury bug bit the New England Patriots hard Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Bears. Rookie running back Sony Michel suffered a knee injury, forcing him from the game. Fortunately for the Patriots, Michel only suffered a minor MCL injury and is week-to-week. That said, he will almost certainly be out for the next one or two games. With Michel out, Kenjon Barner is set to see significant playing time in the first-team offense.
Fantasy football owners should take note every time a running back starts seeing playing time. The running back position is notoriously shallow and Barner could end up earning some valuable snaps. That said, his production could be so minimal that adding him would just be wasting a bench spot. Let’s take a dive into Barner’s snaps and see what, if anything, the first-year Patriot can bring to your fantasy team.
Fantasy Football: What Kenjon Barner Can Bring Following the Sony Michel Injury
Prior to the game, Barner saw just six carries for 27 yards as a member of the Patriots. This is obviously not great production, especially considering the Patriots only had two running backs ahead of him on the depth chart. However, once Michel went down, Barner started seeing more time on offense.
While he’s never going to usurp James White, Barner still saw a healthy amount of game action. The first-year Patriot finished his game with 10 rushes for 36 yards. While the 3.6 yards per carry is a little underwhelming, Barner showed the ability to make guys miss and break tackles on a few runs.
White, meanwhile, saw 11 carries and eight receptions on the day. Basically, New England made White the main guy after Michel went down and brought Barner on whenever White needed a breather.
Barner didn’t see a single target in the passing game, which shows that the Patriots view Barner strictly as an early-down runner. This shouldn’t really be a surprise, as James White is one of the best pass-catching backs in the league. While Barner has a chance to match White’s production in the run game, he’ll never be White’s equal in the passing game.
The real tell of Barner’s value (or lack thereof) came on the Patriots final drive of the game. Chicago had just scored a touchdown to make it a 38-31 game. New England needed to milk time off the clock and had to take to the ground. Michel would normally be the back for this situation, but he obviously wasn’t available. Instead of turning to Barner to pick up these hard yards, New England opted to put White on the field.
White isn’t the most gifted runner, but he managed to pick up a few first downs in the process. Still, if the Patriots saw anything they liked in Barner, they would have given him the chance to pick up those difficult yards. This clearly shows that New England views Barner solely as an emergency option on the field.
Incoming Competition
With only two healthy running backs on the roster, the Patriots will probably look to add another body before Sunday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. While there are a few interesting players available in free agency, the Patriots will probably look to add someone familiar with their playbook. The most likely candidates to come to Foxboro are Mike Gillislee, Kenneth Farrow, and Ralph Webb.
Each player should be familiar with the playbook from their time with the Patriots and should be able to be inserted right into the offense. However, just because these players come to Foxboro doesn’t mean they’ll automatically leapfrog Barner on the depth chart.
Gillislee disappointed in his first year in Foxboro, running for just 383 yards and five touchdowns on 104 carries. Gillislee started the year as the top running back in New England’s committee but was a regular healthy scratch by Week Eight.
Farrow, meanwhile, hasn’t carried the football in a professional game since 2016 with the San Diego Chargers. Farrow appeared in 13 games, recording 60 carries for 192 yards and an unimpressive 3.2 yards per attempt. Obviously, a player can improve over two years, but there’s no reason to believe Farrow is better than Barner.
Webb has the least experience of the trio, initially joining the Patriots as an undrafted free agent during the 2018 off-season. While he put together a few strong preseason performances, up to this point the Patriots don’t seem to think of him as an NFL-caliber running back. After stashing him on the practice squad for a few weeks, New England decided to cut ties altogether on October 8th.
Additionally, the Patriots have had the opportunity to add these players earlier on in the year. All three players were readily available back in October, yet the Patriots opted to sign Barner to the active roster. This shows that, while the Patriots don’t have much faith in Barner, they view him as a superior option to Gillislee, Barner, and Webb.
Last Word on Kenjon Barner
Kenjon Barner is going to have his opportunities in the Patriots backfield. Injuries have decimated New England’s running backs, and James White isn’t capable of playing every single snap. Barner showed promise in his limited opportunities, although he’ll only see the field when White needs a breather.
The Patriots may add a player like Mike Gillislee, Kenneth Farrow, or Ralph Webb to bolster their depth, but Barner should remain second on the depth chart. New England is very familiar with both players, yet decided to sign Barner when both were available.
Ultimately, Kenjon Barner will never put up RB1 numbers. That said, he’ll probably see about ten carries a game. If you’re in a deeper league, Barner could make sense as a bench piece. That said, don’t put him in your starting lineup unless you’re truly desperate. Barner has a limited ceiling and is probably going to be heavily reliant on touchdowns to give any sort of consistent production.
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