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The New England Patriots ran over, around, and through the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, putting up 273 yards on the ground in a 24-12 victory. On a day where Tom Brady looked mortal at best and Blake Bortles at worst, Buffalo was unable to muster any answer for a Patriots ground attack that demoralized the Bills early.
It’s no surprise that two of New England’s top scorers in fantasy football for the week were running backs. Here is the list of the Patriots’ top-three fantasy football players this week.
RB Sony Michel
Almost from the opening gun, it was obvious that the Bills would be unable to stop New England on the ground. After the Bills forced the Patriots to go three-and-out on their opening drive—a sequence where Tom Brady completed one of three passes for a total of seven yards—New England ran the ball on ten consecutive plays. Those ten plays gained 82 yards and a touchdown. Michel ran 18 times on the day, totaling 116 yards and one touchdown. It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season. He scored 17.6 fantasy points on the day.
WR Julian Edelman
Thanks to a fluke play on a fourth down, Edelman’s line looks much better than it otherwise would have. Up 14-6 with 5:14 to go in the third quarter, the Patriots decided that they’d rather try to convert a fourth-and-four than kick a 49-yard field goal. Brady hit Edelman on a little slant for the conversion, and safety Rafael Bush was underneath Edelman when he was tackled. The receiver realized he never hit the ground, and he sprang up alertly before running to the end zone. That one play—a 32-yard reception and touchdown—gave Edelman 9.7 of his 16 fantasy points. All together, Edelman finished with seven catches on ten targets, totaling 60 receiving yards and the lone touchdown.
RB James White
Speaking of players whose fantasy scoring came mostly on one play, New England’s pass-catching running back did the bulk of his damage on one running play. He carried eight times for 41 yards and one touchdown, adding two receptions for 13 yards in the passing game. White’s day was buoyed by a 27-yard touchdown run that gave New England a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. That play alone was worth 8.7 of White’s 12.4 fantasy points on the afternoon.