The New England Patriots have been one of the surprises in this young NFL season. Although they’re now 1-1, the Pats were very competitive in their close loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
In that narrow defeat, Antonio Gibson showed signs of the explosive ability he possesses.
In the offseason, the Patriots signed Gibson as soon as free agency opened. They wanted to create a 1-2 punch with Rhamondre Stevenson. In Week 1, it was the Stevenson show.
However, in Week 2, Gibson proved he was not be forgotten, putting up a strong performance of his own with 96 rushing yards on 11 rushing attempts.
Can Gibson continue to provide similar fantasy football value, or should we allow Gibson to live on the waiver wire and continue to be rostered in only 25% of Sleeper leagues?
Antonio Gibson’s Fantasy Outlook for the Remainder of the 2024 Season
Gibson was efficient with his 11 carries, which produced 8.7 yards per rush, the second-best figure in Week 2. Yet, we should be wary of falling into the trap of thinking Gibson will take over the backfield in New England. As long as Stevenson is healthy, this will be his show for the foreseeable future.
GIBSON GETTING AWAYYY 🏃💨
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/uIRHhirEMJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 15, 2024
That forces Gibson to complementary duties the majority of weeks. Gibson’s most significant contribution will be in instances of negative game script where the Patriots play from behind, providing Gibson with more targets and allowing him to generate strong fantasy contributions in PPR formats due to his pass-catching skills.
Should Antonio Gibson Be Added on the Fantasy Waiver Wire in Week 3?
The issue with adding Gibson is that you are hopeful for a negative game script, allowing more passing opportunities to go his way. With the Patriots playing their first two games competitively, Stevenson has been the lead back even when it comes to the air attack.
Stevenson has run 20 routes, with that total ranking ninth among RBs over the first two weeks. Gibson is 58th overall in the same category with just four routes run so far.
Gibson’s upside is limited as long as Stevenson is healthy. We could find other options on the waiver wire with more chances to produce weekly. Gibson should not outrank running backs such as the Texans’ Cam Akers, who has a chance to become the lead back for a more potent offense due to injury.
We love the matchup against the New York Jets, as teams often lean into rushing the ball against New York to avoid the strong back end of their defense. However, that spells more play for Stevenson over Gibson again, making Gibson a wasted waiver-wire selection.
Even if we play the long game and select Gibson for down the road, the Patriots face the Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans in their next slew of games. Gibson’s slotting as RB60 in the latest PFN Consensus Rankings underscores he’s still a very deep-league consideration at most, and we should avoid this storm at all costs.