Anarchy99
Footballguy
Michel continues to be a stand out in camp . . . catching the football. He said today that he is much more comfortable this time around understanding his role in the passing game and where they want him to be. He also commented that he's in much better health than in previous camps, and he feels like he's in a good place mentally and physically. Of course, I am sure that just jinxed him and he'll be on IR in a matter of hours.
I know there's still talk of him getting traded or released, but I just don't see it. He continues to see extensive work with the starters in practice and has been catching everything thrown his way. Yeah, I know. If I saw that statement out of the blue, I wouldn't believe it either. If Harris is getting a lot of work as a pass catcher in camp, either I missed it or reporters haven't been mentioning it.
My best guess for Michel is that they are trying to mold him into a Rex Burkhead type role. Harris will likely get 2 out of 3 series and Michel the other. But Michel most likely would be used situationally on top of that. I would expect White to continue to be used as the 3rd down back and on passing downs.
It's really hard to figure out how things will work with and without Cam, but I would tend to guess Harris will see 12-14 carries (sometimes a couple more) while Michel will see 8-10 carries (sometimes a couple more) but a more active role as a pass catcher (maybe 2-3 targets a game). I still think Harris and Michel end up a lot closer in fantasy scoring than some sites have them projected (most sited have Harris scoring twice as many fantasy points as Michel).
That being said, Cam kills the value of both Harris and Michel and Newton will vulture a lot of goal line looks. IMO, both Harris and Michel might have to score from outside the 5 or 6 yard line if they are going to get in the end zone. I also think that NE ends up passing a lot more this season (maybe an extra 75-100 passing attempts with an extra game factored in), but that likely means more Mac and less Cam.
NE may not have the roster space to initially keep all their backs, and the thoughts on JJ Taylor vary but they may try to get him on the practice squad (and hope no team swipes him). I still feel that Stevenson will get the mostly freshman redshirt season unless injuries pile up.
Assuming that Jones plays sooner than later (although that may not happen) . . . and each guy plays 15 games:
Harris 200-950-6 | 10-80-0 = 149 in PPR
Michel 125-550-3 | 30-270-2 = 142 in PPR
White 40-160-2 | 50-400-1 = 124 in PPR
That would probably get Harris and Michel into the mid 30's in rankings and White in the 40's.
Last season, Harris, Michel, Burkhead, and White combined had 318 carries and 86 receptions. If there were 17 games last year, that would have projected to 338 and 91. What I projected above adds up to 365 and 90 . . . which seems reasonable if Jones takes over at midseason (and therefore there are fewer QB rushing attempts), which would also allow for more passing attempts.
I know there's still talk of him getting traded or released, but I just don't see it. He continues to see extensive work with the starters in practice and has been catching everything thrown his way. Yeah, I know. If I saw that statement out of the blue, I wouldn't believe it either. If Harris is getting a lot of work as a pass catcher in camp, either I missed it or reporters haven't been mentioning it.
My best guess for Michel is that they are trying to mold him into a Rex Burkhead type role. Harris will likely get 2 out of 3 series and Michel the other. But Michel most likely would be used situationally on top of that. I would expect White to continue to be used as the 3rd down back and on passing downs.
It's really hard to figure out how things will work with and without Cam, but I would tend to guess Harris will see 12-14 carries (sometimes a couple more) while Michel will see 8-10 carries (sometimes a couple more) but a more active role as a pass catcher (maybe 2-3 targets a game). I still think Harris and Michel end up a lot closer in fantasy scoring than some sites have them projected (most sited have Harris scoring twice as many fantasy points as Michel).
That being said, Cam kills the value of both Harris and Michel and Newton will vulture a lot of goal line looks. IMO, both Harris and Michel might have to score from outside the 5 or 6 yard line if they are going to get in the end zone. I also think that NE ends up passing a lot more this season (maybe an extra 75-100 passing attempts with an extra game factored in), but that likely means more Mac and less Cam.
NE may not have the roster space to initially keep all their backs, and the thoughts on JJ Taylor vary but they may try to get him on the practice squad (and hope no team swipes him). I still feel that Stevenson will get the mostly freshman redshirt season unless injuries pile up.
Assuming that Jones plays sooner than later (although that may not happen) . . . and each guy plays 15 games:
Harris 200-950-6 | 10-80-0 = 149 in PPR
Michel 125-550-3 | 30-270-2 = 142 in PPR
White 40-160-2 | 50-400-1 = 124 in PPR
That would probably get Harris and Michel into the mid 30's in rankings and White in the 40's.
Last season, Harris, Michel, Burkhead, and White combined had 318 carries and 86 receptions. If there were 17 games last year, that would have projected to 338 and 91. What I projected above adds up to 365 and 90 . . . which seems reasonable if Jones takes over at midseason (and therefore there are fewer QB rushing attempts), which would also allow for more passing attempts.
