What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

RB Sony Michel (1 Viewer)

Sony Michel rushed 22 times for 86 yards in the Patriots' Week 6 win over the Giants, adding two receptions for 23 additional yards.

In what felt like an intentional provocation of fantasy owners, Michel could only watch as the Pats notched not one, not two, but three rushing touchdowns by other players. Michel was an observer for a pair of Tom Brady quarterback sneaks and a Brandon Bolden one-yard plunge in the second quarter. The closest Michel got to a "goal-line carry" came from the Giants' 19-yard line. Michel was having a decidedly unimpressive night before adding a 26-yard carry on the Pats' final real play. Despite his continued disappointments, Michel will remain a locked-in RB2 for the Pats' latest Triple-A opponent (@NYJ) in Week 7.
Click to expand...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
To be fair, Michel has 10.5 points in PPR scoring. I would kill for that for one of my teams. Not great but not horrible. 
Click to expand...
If you're already pining for 10 points out of a RB in PPR on Thursday night then it's time to tear that team down and rebuild it, not scrap for 10 points from Sony.

 
His average is respectable, but he looked bad. Did he break a tackle all night? These past few weeks? This year?

It's bad. I'd love to see his YAC in PFF right now. 

 
That said, he did get 11.30 standard. That's not too bad for an RB2. I know, like Anarchy says, we were hoping for touchdowns, but we're looking at a guy who needs to win confidence in both his coach and his team.

 
rockaction said:
His average is respectable, but he looked bad. Did he break a tackle all night? These past few weeks? This year?

It's bad. I'd love to see his YAC in PFF right now. 
Click to expand...
He had a nice screen pass opportunity with only one defender in the immediate area after the catch... He managed to run right in to that one defender and get tackled. It was almost like he was a magnet.

 
iamkoza said:
He had a nice screen pass opportunity with only one defender in the immediate area after the catch... He managed to run right in to that one defender and get tackled. It was almost like he was a magnet.
Click to expand...
Yeah its like he looks for contact not realizing he cant break tackles.

 
Michel is on pace for 280 touches, 1085 YFS, and 8 TD. They are starting to use him as a receiver some. Yes, he doesn’t look great, has ongoing knee issues, and for now appears to rarely get red zone looks. But the numbers are the numbers. And those totals would be higher totals than he had in the regular season last year.  If people got excited over his performance in the post season, than those folks likely overpaid. 

 
iamkoza said:
He had a nice screen pass opportunity with only one defender in the immediate area after the catch... He managed to run right in to that one defender and get tackled. It was almost like he was a magnet.
Click to expand...
100%. I couldn't believe that play. What should've been a 20+ yard play turned into 8. 

 
Anybody looking at average ypc to put a bow on last night is confusing fantasy with reality.  The NFL reality is that he looked bad.  Coaches aren't going to be happy when a guy gets 1 yard on like 10 or so of his carries.  That's not helping the offense or the qb.

He's likely got to do better or lose pt to burkhead or Harris.

I think the two qb sneaks were to send a message to Michel that they are not going to give him the glory running like that.

 
The Dude said:
Anybody looking at average ypc to put a bow on last night is confusing fantasy with reality.  The NFL reality is that he looked bad.  Coaches aren't going to be happy when a guy gets 1 yard on like 10 or so of his carries.  That's not helping the offense or the qb.

He's likely got to do better or lose pt to burkhead or Harris.

I think the two qb sneaks were to send a message to Michel that they are not going to give him the glory running like that.
Click to expand...
I mentioned this several times already. IMO, people are confusing fantasy football for NFL football. BB has already come out and said Michel hasn't had been the issue and the lack of blocking has been the issue. He is still getting a ton of carries, is being integrated into the passing game, and generally speaking doesn't cough up the football. He's not great, but he is reliable enough. He helps allow NE to play keep away from the other team, wear down defenders, and close out games. Given that Burkhead has been out and Harris still can't get on the game day roster, I am not so sure Harris will be anything more than a footnote to the season this year. 

As also indicated previously, the threat of Michel running the ball pulls defenders closer to the LOS and they run play action to great success. Michel also had a block that completed flipped over a blitzer. Michel hasn't looked great at times, but he still has been a positive contributor overall. He's been averaging 17-18 touches a game.

Burkhead has rarely been healthy in his time in NE and hasn't really been used more than a change of pace back. Sometimes they have used him as a receiver both in and out of the backfield. But he rarely sees more than a few carries. Bolden is probable more of a threat to get carries than Burkhead, but even that seems unlikely.

The two Brady TD's were probably more to keep TB12's interest and keep him engaged. He hasn't been the best teammate lately and has been vocal about not loving the weapons at his disposal. He also has indicated he isn't all that interested in developing younger receivers and wants more veteran targets to throw to.

I also think across the board on offense they are dealing with a bunch of nagging injuries, which coupled with the guys out of the lineup with longer term injuries is making the offense limp to the finish line some weeks. But the offense has scored 19 TD in 6 games (so not counting TD's on DEF or S/T's). The point being, the offense is scoring points, the defense is getting a lot of turnovers, and there should still be a lot of scoring opportunities available.

 
You might be right on the Brady td runs.  But the one run was from three yards out (which feel short).  Not your usual Brady sneak.  

But he got further than Michel likely would have gotten.

 
Why is Tom Brady continually doing QB sneaks?  Padding his stats?  Seems like a a needless risk to take.  He goes down, the Pats are toast.

 
The Brady sneaks were bad enough on there own but throw in the Bolden TD (got 2 shots at it), Van Noy getting in (as opposed to being down at the 2 like originally called), and Sony not breaking that final run for a TD. Would have been nice to just have the Bolden TD and then Sony is over 17 in standard and 19 in ppr. 

 
Manster said:
Why is Tom Brady continually doing QB sneaks?  Padding his stats?  Seems like a a needless risk to take.  He goes down, the Pats are toast.
Click to expand...
You may be right, but the defensive / special teams unit has scored more points than they have allowed on the season. The defense has only allowed three TD so far but D/ST's have scored 5 TD's. That obviously won't continue, but with the way the defense has been playing, they could probably stay afloat without TB depending upon who they had to play.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Again to me they intentionally did not call Michel's number in short yardage.  If you can trust a got to pick up two yards, that guy's number is up soon.

BB is likely already talking about options to Michel

 
Anarchy99 said:
You may be right, but the defensive / special teams unit has scored more points than they have allowed on the season. The defense has only allowed two TD so far but D/ST's have scored 5 TD's. That obviously won't continue, but with the way the defense has been playing, they could probably stay afloat without TB depending upon who they had to play.
Click to expand...
The bolded being appropriate.  The Pats have somehow started off this year with one of the flukiest easy 6 game schedules imaginable.

3 of the 6 teams they've played are winless, and another has only 1 win (although they did play them pre Big Ben injury).  They have a 7-22 record overall.  4 of those 7 wins were the Bills who lost their quarterback in the NE game.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Anarchy99 - thoughts on this news and the impact it could potentially have on Sony Michel moving forward?

Jim McBridge of the Boston Globe reports the Patriots are expected to place FB Jakob Johnson (shoulder) on injured reserve.

He picked up a shoulder injury Thursday in a win over the Giants. Johnson had been filling in for James Develin (neck) at fullback. With both of their fullbacks injured, Pats could employ more 11 personnel going forward.

SOURCE: Boston Globe

Oct 11, 2019, 12:25 PM ET
Click to expand...

 
Faust said:
@Anarchy99 - thoughts on this news and the impact it could potentially have on Sony Michel moving forward?
Click to expand...
It certainly won't help any. Johnson was getting on the job training and trial by fire initiation to the offense. IMO, the talk of NE adding a WR may be a bit more of a media creation than anything else. They would be better served getting a blocking TE, OL help, or a cheap fullback. There hasn't been any update on Develin, so not sure if they are hopeful he might be able to come back from IR this year. It makes more sense to leave Harry on IR if Wynn and Develin are healthy enough to come back and contribute.

I still think at some point BB will just start playing an extra lineman on offense (even if it is someone from the defense) to try to get more blocking. Michel's fantasy value so far has been due to high volume, starting to get some targets receiving, and the offense wearing out defenses by the end of games. That script could stay similar for a few more weeks, but we may see NE have to do more than take the air out of the ball offensively (pun intended) because the defense has been so stout.

 
Anarchy99 said:
You may be right, but the defensive / special teams unit has scored more points than they have allowed on the season. The defense has only allowed three TD so far but D/ST's have scored 5 TD's. That obviously won't continue, but with the way the defense has been playing, they could probably stay afloat without TB depending upon who they had to play.
Click to expand...
Their defense has been incredible, no matter level of competition......just seems silly to me to have Tom running the ball.  He might break a hip!

 
Ray Barboni said:
Yea. That’s a really bad sign for BB’s confidence in Michel.

i can almost feel that he hates him so much. Can’t break a tackle. Fumbled last week.

I’m thinking BB didn’t even want to draft the kid ... Damien Harris might be his guy, but no need to use him yet.

i feel like a jerk for buying into the TD potential/hype on Michel.
Click to expand...
If Belichick did not want to draft Michel, he would not have been drafted by the Pats.

 
Sony Michel rushed 19 times for 42 yards and three touchdowns in the Patriots' 33-0, Week 7 win over the Jets Monday night.

Michel was targeted twice in the pass game, dropping the first one that would have maybe went for a touchdown and turning the catch into a loss of eight yards. Michel's 2.2 yards per carry average is hideous, but this has been the story of his season. He came into this one averaging a pitiful 3.5 YPC. His scores came from three, one, and one yards away. But Michel has a desirable role as the Patriots' early-down and goal-line back for an offense that is routinely finding the end zone. Michel has six touchdowns in seven games and will be a TD-dependent RB2 next week against the Browns.

Oct 21, 2019, 11:33 PM ET
Click to expand...

 
He looks so horrendous. His only quality appears to be he doesn't fumble often. Frequently brought down by arm tackles, no lateral ability, no burst. Falls down on first contact... Yet the best team in the league is content to give him 20 carries a game

 
Either he's playing injured or he just sucks. If he's not that banged up and this is who he is, I have a feeling that his dynasty value will be in shambles next year.

 
pbandy1 said:
I thought he looked way better last year, what the hell happened? Am I missing something? 
Click to expand...
No, he looked way better last year.

They were indeed stacking the box every time he ran tonight. His drop really hurt. That was a walk in touchdown that would keep the defense from peeling back their ears and run blitzing. 

 
pbandy1 said:
I thought he looked way better last year, what the hell happened? Am I missing something? 
Click to expand...
NE had no OL injuries last year, a great blocking FB, and two great blocking tight ends in Gronk and Allen. This year, the OL has multiple injuries, they have no healthy FB, they don’t really have a blocking TE (and the ones they have are hurt). It’s not Michel’s fault they can’t block. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
NE had no OL injuries last year, a great blocking FB, and two great blocking tight ends in Gronk and Allen. This year, the OL has multiple injuries, they have no healthy FB, they don’t really have a blocking TE (and the ones they have are hurt). It’s not Michel’s fault they can’t block. 
Click to expand...
We know all this about the line and the blocking; he looks different. I wonder if you measured his elusiveness rating or yards after contact ratings or other advanced PFF stats how it would compare to last year. I can't imagine it'd be that his steep decline is solely attributable to blocking. By the way, standard scoring, Yahoo league? He's RB14 overall right now. 

 
rockaction said:
We know all this about the line and the blocking; he looks different. I wonder if you measured his elusiveness rating or yards after contact ratings or other advanced PFF stats how it would compare to last year. I can't imagine it'd be that his steep decline is solely attributable to blocking. By the way, standard scoring, Yahoo league? He's RB14 overall right now. 
Click to expand...
He’s had knee issues forever. He doesn’t look good but he’s getting the ball and his fantasy numbers have been ok. NE probably shouldn’t have drafted him, but it is what it is. He’s serviceable but not spectacular. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
He’s had knee issues forever. He doesn’t look good but he’s getting the ball and his fantasy numbers have been ok. NE probably shouldn’t have drafted him, but it is what it is. He’s serviceable but not spectacular. 
Click to expand...
I agree with this. 

A related aside: Harris looked like he had burst on his two garbage time carries, but from highlights in the preseason, he doesn't look like a real breakaway threat.

Then again, neither is Sony right now. Think the Pats might settle for 3.5 YPC. 

 
Hate this guy with the heat of a thousand burning suns. I lose by less than a point because he gets 3 garbage TDs. Perfect distances for the 0.5 yards per carry he averages. Have been sitting him in my other league.

 
irish eyes said:
Hate this guy with the heat of a thousand burning suns. I lose by less than a point because he gets 3 garbage TDs. Perfect distances for the 0.5 yards per carry he averages. Have been sitting him in my other league.
Click to expand...
Did I play you? lol

I hate him too, he was a throw in to get me a RB in a trade last week.  Trying so hard to trade him for any WR and nobody wants him.

 
Devil's advocate view via Rotoworld:

Sony Michel might be disappointing fantasy owners with his 3.48 yards per carry on the season, but he continues to be fed the ball week in and week out. He has yet to eclipse 100-yards rushing, a feat that he managed four times in his 13 regular-season games played in his rookie season. He hasn't been flashy, but he's been at least serviceable through bye weeks and mounting injuries. The Patriots have a Week 10 bye, and after that, they face the Eagles, Cowboys, Texans. Not the best matchups, sure, but the real magic happens during your fantasy football playoffs: Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Buffalo. Michel's disappointing season has driven down his cost significantly, but he's a cheap insurance policy that would pay off handsomely through your championship weeks.

Have a team floating Davante Adams as trade bait. Know it is not Assistant Coach's Forum, but does Sony/JuJu get that done?

 
What gets me is how much people have slammed Michel the past few weeks. But over the last three weeks, he’s ranked 6th in standard scoring and 7th in PPR scoring over that stretch. Would people rather be look great and rank 29th?

 
Anarchy99 said:
What gets me is how much people have slammed Michel the past few weeks. But over the last three weeks, he’s ranked 6th in standard scoring and 7th in PPR scoring over that stretch. Would people rather be look great and rank 29th?
Click to expand...
That's why I put in my complaint that he was RB14 overall standard. To sort of assuage or explain the dichotomy between wanting fantasy production, which comes from volume, and wanting real production, which in the coaches' minds, allows one to have access to said volume necessary for the fantasy points. It's really about sustainability.

 
Big Blue Wrecking Crew said:
Devil's advocate view via Rotoworld:

Sony Michel might be disappointing fantasy owners with his 3.48 yards per carry on the season, but he continues to be fed the ball week in and week out. He has yet to eclipse 100-yards rushing, a feat that he managed four times in his 13 regular-season games played in his rookie season. He hasn't been flashy, but he's been at least serviceable through bye weeks and mounting injuries. The Patriots have a Week 10 bye, and after that, they face the Eagles, Cowboys, Texans. Not the best matchups, sure, but the real magic happens during your fantasy football playoffs: Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Buffalo. Michel's disappointing season has driven down his cost significantly, but he's a cheap insurance policy that would pay off handsomely through your championship weeks.

Have a team floating Davante Adams as trade bait. Know it is not Assistant Coach's Forum, but does Sony/JuJu get that done?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't want ANY of Adams sony, or juju. Trust me I have all 3 and has made me not to want to play next year. Juju is going to be a 3 or 4 reception 40 yard player all year. Adams will probably be affected by the toe injury rest of season. Michel's garbage 1 yard tds will come to an end very soon, and that is all he is good for.

 
irish eyes said:
 Michel's garbage 1 yard tds will come to an end very soon, and that is all he is good for.
Click to expand...
Why exactly will "Michel's garbage 1-yard TDs come to an end very soon"? Did I miss the news? Is he retiring? As long as he's the Patriots' goal-line back -- and they basically ran him into the ground at the goal line last night -- Michel has value.

 
LordHusker said:
Why exactly will "Michel's garbage 1-yard TDs come to an end very soon"? Did I miss the news? Is he retiring? As long as he's the Patriots' goal-line back -- and they basically ran him into the ground at the goal line last night -- Michel has value.
Click to expand...
Some games it'll be Brady sneaks, some White, some Bolden. They played the Jets and ran Michel multiple times from the 1 yard line just to get in.  In weeks past that wasn't the case. Plus Burkhead has been out.  He's clearly a sell high but I don't think many will bite.

Not to mention he limped off the field late in that game. 

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

JohnnyU
College RB Trevor Etienne, Georgia
Replies
11
Views
437
JohnnyU
JohnnyU
massraider
WR Jermaine Burton, CIN
Replies
19
Views
889
Mister CIA
Mister CIA
I
Fantasy Football Advise -- Championship Game -- Who to Start/Sit (Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, Sony Michel) (Also QB Situation!)
Replies
0
Views
192
iamthecheese
I

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top