Week 17 at Buffalo Bills
It will be Ezekiel Elliott's backfield in New England for the rest of the season after the Patriots placed Rhamondre Stevenson on injured reserve, ending his season. But the numbers and production have been dwindling a bit. He has just 52 rushing yards combined in the last two weeks. However, his usage in the passing game has still been very solid. In his last four games, Elliott has 25 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns. As long as that usage continues, Elliott can actually be a solid RB2 this week against Buffalo.
Week 16 at Denver Broncos
Ezekiel Elliott touched the football 16 times against the Chiefs, 13 less than he saw in Week 14 against the Steelers. He totaled 46 yards, a far cry from the 140 he had against the Steelers, bringing the Patriots' offense back down to Earth. It's looking like another week with Rhamondre Stevenson out, so Elliott will be the lead back one more time. The good news is Denver just allowed almost 200 rushing yards between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Week 15. Elliott is an RB2 this week.
Week 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Ezekiel Elliott is back as a top fantasy option. Who would have thought? But here we are. Rhamondre Stevenson is still hurt and Elliott actually ran well last week against the Steelers. The Chiefs have actually been a favorable matchup over the course of the season for opposing running backs. It’s hard to believe, but Elliott is a borderline RB1 for the fantasy playoffs this week.
Week 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Ezekiel Elliott is now in line to start Thursday against the Steelers as Rhamondre Stevenson is out with an ankle injury. Elliott seems to be over his thigh injury as he was taken off the injury report Tuesday. Elliott obviously isn’t what he used to be but he could see about 15-20 carries so that alone makes him worth a flex consideration. The Steelers are among the middle of the pack against the run. But as we’ve seen lately, the Patriots are a mess on offense, so be cautious with Elliott.
Week 13 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The good news? Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 46 yards on nine carries. The bad news? He only played 15 snaps. This is Rhamondre Stevenson's backfield again so there is almost no reason at this point to play Elliott unless you are desperate. Even against the Chargers, it's too risky at this stage of the game.
Week 12 at New York Giants
Ezekiel Elliott saw 13 rushing attempts in Germany two weeks ago and hit 50 yards for the first time since Week 3. The Giants are not very good against the run, so the game script could allow both Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson to have success this week. Elliott remains a risky play, but there's at least some reason to consider the week given the matchup and the quarterback situation possibly allowing the Patriots to focus on the run more this week.
Week 10 vs. Indianapolis Colts (Germany)
Ezekiel Elliott is pretty much getting clean-up and spell work in the backfield behind Rhamondre Stevenson. He has seen double-digit rushing attempts just twice this season and double-digit touches just four times. He's not worth a start going forward.
Week 9 vs. Washington Commanders
Ezekiel Elliott was back to single-digit carries last week after getting 11 against the Bills. Against a tough front seven of Washington, New England may continue to struggle on the ground. Elliott is a deep-flex play only.
Week 8 at Miami Dolphins
Ezekiel Elliott now has two straight games with a touchdown, but he still only has one game with more than 40 yards rushing. There’s still not enough for him to be a viable fantasy option. He’s more of a touchdown vulture to Rhamondre Stevenson.
Week 7 vs. Buffalo Bills
Ezekiel Elliott scored his first touchdown as a Patriot, giving him his first double-digit fantasy day of the season. The thing with Elliott is his ceiling remains very low due to the lack of work and time on the field. Only getting about 8-10 touches and not really being a part of the passing game makes his fantasy outlook, even against a Bills defense that has been favorable against opposing running backs, pretty bleak. Elliott remains on the bench this week.
