Ty

Montgomery II

The Pats cut Montgomery to make room for linebacker Christian Elliss. They claimed Elliss off waivers after the Eagles cut him earlier this week. Montgomery got a few snaps at backup running back over the past few weeks. That role will now fall to JaMychal Hasty. Given Montgomery’s specials teams utility, he should be able to find a new team or at least a practice squad soon.

Stevenson, done in by the dreaded hip drop tackle in Week 13 against the Chargers, should miss the remainder of the fantasy football season. That puts Ezekiel Elliott in the RB1 role for a run-first New England offense that has been 10 percent below its expected drop back rate since Week 10. Elliott in Week 13 saw 21 touches — including five targets — against LA. It’s a perfectly fine workload for a top-24 fantasy option. Elliott should see most or all of the team’s red zone work, with Ty Montgomery serving as the Patriots’ No. 2 back with Stevenson sidelined. Montgomery can be picked up in deeper formats in case Elliott gets dinged up.

Montgomery has been sidelined since early in training camp after being injured on a route. The veteran running back is now back on the field, but faces added competition in the backfield with Ezekiel Elliott now in the fold. Montgomery is entering his second season with the Patriots but has appeared in just one game. It’s possible he finds his way onto the field on passing downs this season, but his fantasy floor is almost non-existent until we see otherwise.

According to Reiss, Montgomery tried to catch a pass that was thrown behind him and compromised his “lower leg/knee area” in the process. This is something to keep an eye on, as Montgomery could stand to take on some receiving work after appearing in just one game with the Patriots last season. Montgomery caught three passes for 15 yards and a touchdown in his lone game with the Pats before a shoulder injury ended his 2022 campaign. We’ll hope this is nothing more than a minor setback.

Lazar notes that Strong is on the “James White track” to playing time despite receiving just 17 touches as a rookie. Strong is a second-year back who boasts 4.37 speed and is as shifty as he is fast. He rushed for 4,525 yards and 40 touchdowns during his time at South Dakota State and also added 62 receptions for 567 yards and another three scores. If Strong eats into any of Stevenson’s workload, that could spell fantasy trouble for those investing early draft capital into the team’s RB1. Stevenson totaled 1,461 yards from scrimmage in his second season and saw a significant portion of his receiving work come from his 69-421-1 receiving line. We’d still expect Stevenson to handle most of the work on early downs, but his lack of efficiency as a receiver could open the door for somebody to eat into his touch share on passing downs. Strong is worth considering as a late-round stash in PPR leagues.

In early May, The Athletic’s Chad Graff projected Robinson as the odd-man out on the Pats’ 53-man roster. Unfortunately, he didn’t even make it to training camp. Robinson signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Patriots this offseason, but after 90 days with the team, his time as a Patriot has come to an end. Robinson has had a difficult time sticking on an NFL roster since tearing his Achilles at the end of the 2021 season. After starting last season with the Jaguars, the team traded him to the Jets for a late-round pick, only for the Jets to release him at the end of the season. Now in search of his fourth team in the last nine months, Robinson will hope to catch on with another squad ahead of training camp. An undrafted rookie free agent who once unseated Leonard Fournette in a training camp battle, Robinson is a far cry from the running back who totaled 1,414 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns as a rookie in 2020. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign with another team, but we wouldn’t expect him to offer from a fantasy perspective, even if he did.

“We need some help for Rhamondre, and I think Ty is looking really good right now. He’s healthy,” Fears added. Fears, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, is still a “regular presence around the team” despite being retired, so he does put some stock into this. Montgomery, 30, has bounced around the league since his rookie contract expired without really claiming a major role. He also is injury-prone, having played just 21 games in the last three years. We would not be too worried about Stevenson’s fantasy value, but Montgomery should be on the fantasy radar in OTAs and training camp.

Montgomery underwent shoulder surgery this month and will miss the remainder of the season. His return to the lineup may have threatened Rhamondre Stevenson’s death grip on the pass-catching role in the New England backfield. Stevenson has 23 targets in his past four games.

Montgomery injured his ankle in the preseason and was listed with a knee injury before going on IR. His current injury is “related to his upper body.” Eligible to return since Week 6, Montgomery has yet to practice and remains without a timetable. Montgomery’s absence has allowed Rhamondre Stevenson to take on an increased pass-game role.

He was previously listed with a knee injury, but wasn’t sent to IR with a listed injury. This is big news for Damien Harris and (especially) Rhamondre Stevenson’s fantasy pass-catching prospects. Montgomery will be out for at least four weeks. Pierre Strong could also be a candidate to pick up some third-down snaps, though Bill Belichick has hesitated to trust rookies in that role in the past.