Mike Gillislee set for major role in Patriots offense
The New England Patriots are looking to replace a good amount of production from LeGarrette Blount, and Mike Gillislee should be first in line…
The New England Patriots typically employ a running back by committee system, but last year was a unique year for them and for LeGarrette Blount. Blount carried the ball 299 times and led the team in that category by a wide margin, scoring 18 rushing touchdowns. That torch is being passed on to Mike Gillislee, a free agent pickup who is bringing high expectations with him from Buffalo.
Despite Gillislee’s underwhelming career statistics, he is coming off of the best year he’s had so far. He rushed for 577 yards on 101 carries, averaging 5.7 yards a carry and scoring eight touchdowns as LeSean McCoy’s primary backup.
That type of production caught the eye of the Bills’ in-division rivals, and among the other pickups they made this offseason at running back, it would appear Gillislee stands to make the most significant impact…
First goal-line carry of camp in full pads goes to Mike Gillislee. Powers up middle for TD. Top candidate to replace LeGarrette Blount.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 29, 2017
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Replacing what Blount did last season won’t be an easy task. Even though it was a career-year for Gillislee in Buffalo, the production at the goal line and late in games the Patriots had from Blount was part of what made their offense so dominant.
There was no stopping the passing game early, and there was no stopping Blount late in games.
The Patriots still have a variety of running backs that can catch passes out of the backfield, including James White and Rex Burkhead. Those guys could definitely steal snaps from Gillislee, but when it comes to running the football, expect the former Bill to be the team’s lead back.
That means, if you’re a fantasy football player, you’ll want to cash in on the value of Gillislee at some point in your draft. He’s going to see the lion’s share of goal line touches, and if he’s also getting the work late in games, he will see the ball more than any Patriots running back and should be in line to easily top his career numbers from a season ago.