The New England Patriots should have Brandon LaFell back on the field soon, as the wide receiver has returned to practice and could be activated heading through Week 7. The Patriots have Dion Lewis playing well and fantasy owners should look to start him and LeGarrette Blount behind Tom Brady in a solid matchup with the NY Jets this weekend.
Lewis is coming into the weekend after being limited in practice on Thursday, but all signs point to him being able to start against the Jets. Lewis has been a surprise player for the Patriots this season and he has been the main starter for the team over LeGarrette Blount. Both players have been getting touches and fantasy owners should be fine starting either player this weekend, even with the tough Jets defense on the schedule.
Last week against the Colts, Lewis had more snaps on the field than Blount, but he was out touched by 10 and that was likely due to an abdominal injury, according to ESPN.com. MassLive.com writes that Lewis remains "entrenched" as the number one running back and that the Indianapolis game was an "aberration" due to his injury. Lewis had only four rushes for 21 yards in the game and that came after he put up over 100 totals yards against Dallas with a receiving touchdown.
Blount made the most of his chances against the Colts, going for 93 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and he also added a receiving touchdown in the game. Fantasy owner should not hesitate to start Blount even with Lewis being the starter, as he has now scored four touchdowns in the last three games and has a nose for the endzone. The Patriots usually go with the hot hand and they are hoping that both players can get things going against a solid Jets defense.
The return of Brandon LaFell could make a big impact for the Patriots offense, as he put up career numbers last season and would be a better number two over Danny Amendola. Julian Edelman has been putting up strong numbers again and if LaFell comes back over the next couple weeks, Edelman should see things open up more in coverage. According to the Boston Herald, LaFell is now eligible to come off the PUP list and has started practicing with the team.
LaFell has three weeks to come back once he starts practicing and if he looks good, the Patriots likely will activate him. LaFell may not be ready to play against the Jets, but he is worth picking up in fantasy leagues for the back stretch of the season. LaFell put up the best numbers of his career last season, going for 74 catches for 953 yards and seven touchdowns and he was one of the go-to receivers for Tom Brady. If LaFell isn't activated this week, he could be back by Week 8.