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What to do with Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, James White in Week 5 fantasy football

We go over the fantasy football outlook for Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, and James White ahead of the Patriots Week 5 matchup against the Broncos.

New England Patriots running back James White rushes against Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Game time moved: The Broncos-Patriots game has been moved to next week, Sunday of Week 6, per Adam Schefter. The league is going to reschedule Broncos-Dolphins to make room for this game.

Sunday AM update: The Patriots have had a new positive test Sunday morning and shut down the facility. They are testing everybody and should have results later Sunday morning. Adam Schefter reports the NFL is still planning on playing the Monday game, but the game has to be in question at this point. Barring any news before 1 p.m. ET, you should bench your Patriots and Broncos.

The week 5 match up of the New England Patriots vs the Broncos has been moved to Monday night. So, what should you do with NE’s running backs? Start them? Bench them? We are here to tell you.

*Game is subject to cancellation depending on COVID positive tests, so keep that in mind

Fantasy Football analysis: Patriots RBs Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, James White

Damien Harris, the former Alabama running back has seen a mixed bag in NE. His last game though proved quite positive as he rushed 17 times for 100 yards in the Patriots’ 26-10 loss to the Chiefs on Monday night. With his 41 yard run in that game he has clear home run potential and is a good bet to shine with an out Sony Michel.

Rex Burkhead remains a constant in the New England backfield. Can that translate to fantasy success? It’s a coin flip, as he rushed 11 times for 45 yards and brought in his only target for five yards, but could James White take some of those as he returns?

White, who has returned after a terrible family tragedy, has yet to make a real impact. Even as he rushed three times for 21 yards and brought in seven of eight targets for 38 yards you can assume an increase in usage as he gets back in to rythm. However, with Bill’s mercurial approach to RB usage, expect a mostly receiving threat from White.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Start Harris as he seems to be the bell cow back for NE. Sit both Burkhead and White. All three could have touchdowns, but as Harris is a volume rusher, take him for security.