The New England Patriots offense struggled in the preseason, but that doesn't mean this unit won't produce any productive fantasy football players during the 2022 NFL season.
The Patriots are deep at running back and both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson should be drafted in every type of fantasy league.
Harris didn't rack up a ton of yards in 2021 -- 929 in 15 games -- but his 15 rushing touchdowns ranked second in the league behind Indianapolis Colts rookie Jonathan Taylor. Stevenson also burst onto the scene with 532 yards and four touchdowns over the final eight games of the regular season.
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SIGN UP HERE The loss of James White will force the Patriots to target at least one of their running backs more often in the passing attack. Stevenson is more likely to be that guy than Harris, and it could have huge fantasy implications.
NBC Sports fantasy expert Matthew Berry actually sees the Patriots potentially using Stevenson like New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara.
"I think Stevenson has a real shot to be something special this year," Berry said on Fantasy Football Happy Hour.
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Berry added: "Again, under 150 touches for Stevenson last year in a productive rookie year. I think there's a chance he doubles that number this year. I'm all in on team Rhamondre. I had a source tell me that they think they're gonna use him like Kamara. I was just like 'Oh!' We'll see, like who knows. But I thought that was really, really interesting."
Kamara has been one of the league's most productive dual-threat running backs since the Saints drafted him in 2017. He has tallied 7,501 total yards and 67 total touchdowns (47 rushing, 20 receiving) over the last five years.
If Stevenson can approach even 75 percent of that production, that would be tremendous for the Patriots and give their offense plenty of balance.
Stevenson's expected uptick in targets makes him a great player to draft or acquire in half-PPR or full-PPR fantasy leagues. The University of Oklahoma product will split touches with Harris, but he'll get enough to be fantasy relevant most weeks.