Remember the good ol’ days when Damien Harris was a featured back in the New England Patriots’ offense — back before the emergence of Rhamondre Stevenson and the retread of Brandon Bolden? It looks like we might get another glimpse of lead back Harris in Week 16. Let’s dive in on Harris’ fantasy football outlook for semifinals week.
Damien Harris started the year strong
Over the first half of the year, Harris was a solid RB2 play on a weekly basis. From Weeks 1-8, Harris had three games with over 100 rushing yards and had 6 touchdowns over eight games. He wasn’t really used in the passing game, seeing only 12 targets (catching 10 of them) in that timeframe. His lack of work in the passing game was probably the only element of his game keeping him from being an RB1.
The overall RB14 in half-PPR formats to start the season, Harris was a valuable and consistent asset. Unfortunately for Harris, an injury kept him out of Week 10, and Stevenson went bananas. Stevenson took 20 carries for 100 yards and 2 TDs in the game, solidifying his arrival and making sure that he had a place in the Patriots’ offense going forward.
The Patriots’ RBs have been in a committee ever since
After Week 10, Stevenson did not go away. He and Harris have split the backfield work. Between Weeks 11-13, Stevenson actually outpaced Harris with 15.0 carries per game to Harris’ 10.3.
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Harris, however, was the more efficient back over that stretch of games, running at a 6.68-yards-per-carry clip compared to Stevenson’s 4.29. Harris also had 2 rushing touchdowns in that time, while Stevenson didn’t have any.
Damien Harris’ fantasy expectations
This week, Stevenson has been ruled out, putting Harris in line to see a bulk of the carries against the Buffalo Bills. Bolden will continue to factor into the passing game. Still, it should be Harris that gets most of the work on the ground.
The Bills — who started the year as the best run defense in the NFL until Jonathan Taylor stole their souls with a 5-touchdown performance — have been easier against the run in recent weeks. Over the last two weeks, the Bills have given up the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.
Harris, whether Stevenson has been in the picture or not, seems like a lock for the end zone almost every week. He has 9 rushing touchdowns in 12 games this year. When these two teams faced each other in their blizzard game just three weeks ago, Harris finished with 111 yards and a score. He’ll be looking for a repeat performance, and should be locked in as a solid RB2 this week.
