It was a mixed night for fantasy managers of New England Patriots RB Damien Harris as an injury curtailed what was looking like a successful evening. What is the latest regarding Harris’ status, should fantasy football managers be concerned, and who could step up in his place?
Damien Harris left Monday’s game with a hamstring injury
After a largely successful first half (including a Harris scamper 64 yards for a touchdown at one point), fantasy managers were left worrying as he left the game just before the half with an injury. Early reports are that Harris suffered a hamstring injury during the game against Buffalo.
Harris returned in the third quarter, opening the drive with a 22-yard run. However, he came up hobbling at the end of the run and did not return to the game after that. Rookie RB Rhamondre Stevenson finished out the night, with Brandon Bolden providing a change of pace. Harris was pictured smiling with the other backs after the game. He also spoke to the media, which is usually a good indication a player is not too badly hurt.
Harris will have a week off to rest his injury
There is good and bad news for fantasy managers as we head into the start of Week 14. The good news is that initially, the injury changes nothing. The Patriots are on a bye in Week 14, so fantasy managers were set to be without Harris anyway. The problem is that with the Patriots being on bye, we may not get any real updates until next week.
That will make it hard for fantasy managers planning for the playoff run. Do you go and look for cover at running back on the Week 14 waiver wire, or do you stick and hope that Harris can return next week? That is a thin line to thread, and hamstring injuries are always tricky. Rest is the best cure for them, but as we saw with DeAndre Hopkins, they can also take a few weeks to return from.
Who might the Patriots turn to at RB?
If he were to miss any time, the natural fill-in for Harris would be Stevenson. The rookie RB has 100 rush attempts for 429 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was the clear backfield leader after Harris suffered the hamstring injury against the Bills. Stevenson carried the ball 24 times for 78 yards on Monday.
Bolden could subsequently see a bigger role in turn. His usage has largely been on third down and for a change of pace, but that could expand a little if Harris is out. Bolden has only had more than 4 rush attempts once this season, while seeing more than 4 targets on just two occasions.
When Harris missed the Patriots’ Week 10 game against the Cleveland Browns, it was J.J. Taylor they turned to for 6 rush attempts to help spell Stevenson. In Week 7, when Stevenson was inactive, Taylor also had 9 rush attempts and 1 target. He could easily step in as the every-down backup to Stevenson, with Bolden retaining his third-down role.
The Patriots did add Devine Ozigbo to the practice squad last Tuesday after Jacksonville released him. If Harris was to miss Week 15, he could be elevated from the practice squad as a temporary replacement. However, it would seem unlikely New England would view him as a long-term replacement. Therefore, if we hear the Patriots have been working out RBs this week, it would indicate that Harris’ injury might be more of a long-term situation.