The New England Patriots are undefeated heading into the Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills and the team will look to players like Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell, LeGarrette Blount and Rob Gronkowski to step up for Tom Brady with Julian Edelman out with a foot injury. Fantasy football owners should look to start those players along with James White, as he could be a sleeper pick behind Blount this week.
The Patriots have lost both Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis to injuries this season and now the team has a divisional game against the Bills to see if they can improve to 11-0. The Pats basically have the division locked up already and a win here would put the team in prime position for home field advantage in the AFC for the playoffs. Tom Brady is having one of his best seasons for the Patriots despite the injuries on offense and he comes into the game with 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions while completing over 67 percent of his passes.
Edelman was injured in the game against the Giants and broke his foot and he underwent surgery last week to deal with the injury. According to NFL.com, Edelman had a screw inserted into his foot as part of the surgery and he reportedly will be out between six to eight weeks. Edelman should be on track to return for the playoffs if he has no setbacks in his recovery and the Patriots are hoping that will be the case.
For now though, the Patriots and fantasy owners should look to Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell to make up for Edelman's loss at wide receiver. Rob Gronkowski likely will also see some increased targets at tight end with Edelman out, while LeGarrette Blount and James White could get some opportunities in the rushing game. Brady has spread the ball around this season and for fantasy owners looking to replace Edelman for the next stretch of games, Amendola and LaFell are worth starting.
Amendola had 10 catches for 79 yards in the game against the Giants while helping replace Edelman and he should be the number one WR against the Bills on Monday. Amendola has 40 receptions for 403 yards and two touchdowns this season and he showed some good chemistry with Brady last week and that could extend into Monday night. LaFell missed time with injuries this season, but he has been improving each week and now has seven catches for over 160 yards in the past two games. LaFell set career highs last season with Brady and he should also get some increased looks moving forward.
LeGarrette Blount continues to be the lead back for the Patriots and he is a solid start option against the Bills in Week 11. Blount comes in after rushing for 66 yards and a TD last week and he should get some touches for the Pats on Monday night. James White is also a high upside option, as he is the main RB taking over for Lewis on third downs. White played in over a third of the snaps last week against the Giants and while he didn't do much with them, he has the chance to bounce back this week.
Check here for more on the Patriots and fantasy for Week 11 against the Bills.