Rex Burkhead injury update, 4:01 p.m.

The Patriots are expected to list Rex Burkhead as one of their Week 6 inactives, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The running back sat out last week with a foot injury and is not expected to play this week with the same injury. He was a limited participant in practice all three days. His continued practicing bodes well for Week 7, but their next formal injury report will not be released until next Thursday since they’re playing Monday Night Football that week. James White will pick up Burkhead’s work in the passing game, while Sony Michel will likely be a workhorse in the ground game — especially if the Patriots roll over the Giants early.

It’s tough to gauge Rex Burkhead at the moment. The Patriots announced he is questionable for Thursday Night Football due to a foot injury he sustained in Week 4 vs. the Bills. He was held out of last week’s contest with Washington and could be held out again with the Patriots undefeated and the Giants not posing much of a threat in Foxboro.

Joining Burkhead on the injury report is WR Phillip Dorsett (out), and WRs Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon (both questionable). We all know the spot the Patriots are in against the Giants, but there’s still a lot we need to know before making any lineup decisions.

Fantasy Football Analysis, New England Patriots RB Rex Burkhead

So let’s start with the hypothetical that Burkhead remains out. This would mean almost all of the carries in the backfield will go to Sony Michel, with James White sprinkled in here and there. It also means a few extra targets potentially for Michel. White would see more targets, which is also a plus, though he would likely be more impacted by the status of Edelman and Gordon.

If Burkhead returns, it’s unclear how big a role he’ll have given the game script. The Patriots are favored by a ton and are at home. If they go up big on New York, expect a lot of Michel and potentially for Burkhead to be benched as to not re-aggravate his foot injury. Even if Burkhead plays and the Giants somehow keep things close, he may not see many snaps and would likely need a prayer TD to return any value. With all this, Burkhead is way too risky to roll out in any formats. Forget about it in standard. Even in PPR, the volume just won’t be there are you’ve got to wait until a few hours before kickoff to start thinking about anything.

Start/Sit Recommendation

Sit.

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