Sony Michel immediately made an impact for the New England Patriots last season, and it seems likely he’ll take a step forward in 2019.
Though it’s rare for the Patriots to heavily lean on just one running back, most signs point towards Michel shouldering a pretty big workload this season, with James White next in line. Many fantasy football experts are bullish on Michel as a result, but maybe none are more high on the Georgia product than ESPN’s Matthew Berry.
The fantasy football expert proclaimed Thursday that Michel has a “legit chance” to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns this season.
“You think about the Patriots, right, fifth-heaviest run offense in the NFL last year, fifth-highest run percentage last year,” Berry said. “And in fact, when they get in close they like to run. They have been a top-three team in the NFL each of the last three years in terms of goal-to-go runs. So there’s a chance — I understand there’s concerns in terms of the health — but I’m actually in on both James White and Sony Michel at their current (average draft positions), both going outside the top 20. Sony Michel has a legit chance, and I would love to know what the Vegas odds are, but Sony Michel has a legit chance to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns. If he can stay healthy, I’m just saying they like him a lot there. I don’t know what those odds are, but I’d be curious to know what those odds are because I think that would be a worthwhile wager.”
As Berry alludes to, health has been of much concern of Michel’s NFL career so far. But the skill clearly is there, so if he can stay on the field, there’s no reason to believe Berry’s prediction can’t come to fruition.
