LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis' Post-Week 3 Fantasy Advice

Just when you thought you had the New England Patriots' running back situation figured out, well, the thing that happens every time you think you have the Patriots' running back situation figured out happened. 

After being suspended for Week 1 and anonymous in Week 2, LeGarrette Blount rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns in New England's 51-17 thrashing of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dion Lewis, who had seemingly overtaken the primary running back role, had only eight carries for 37 yards and a score.

Lewis received nearly all the work early on but ceded to Blount as the Patriots opened up a big lead. It'll be interesting to see how head coach Bill Belichick chooses to deploy his backs in the future—and inherently frustrating to fans. With that in mind, here is a look at how both fared overall in Week 3 and a look forward at how the situation may play out.   

Player	Carries	Yards	TD	Receptions	Yards
LeGarrette Blount	18	78	3	1	14
Dion Lewis	8	37	1	5	30

Dion Lewis

Lewis, at least in name, is pretty clearly the starter. He received the first 15 snaps at running back, per Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, and hasn't done anything to lose the job outright. The fourth-year back has flashed an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, consistency gaining yards on the ground, and has been fine in pass protection.    

Fumble issues of the first two weeks—one would have expected to see Belichick turn to Blount—were not a factor Sunday. He did not drop the ball once after having a fumble in each of the first two games (losing one).

Dropping Lewis would be a hasty move at this point, but Blount's re-emergence makes him a flex play at best. The Patriots are historically fickle at running back, so owners should probably feel lucky his "bad" game came with a touchdown and five catches. Still, there is a familiarity factor with Blount that could make him a favorite as the season progresses.

Sell high if you still can.

LeGarrette Blount

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Simply put: Pick him up in all formats he's available. The Patriots may have used Blount merely as a grind-the-clock option, but they have never shied away from using him. He's heading into his third (partial) season with the club and has slowly emerged each time as the go-to option.

There is little we don't know about Blount or how he'll be used. He's a short-yardage bruiser who has three carries of 50-plus yards his entire career. The value Blount generates will be based almost entirely on touchdowns, which would be a bad thing if he were not playing in perhaps the NFL's best offense. Blount is going to get goal-line touches at the very least and may wind up supplanting Lewis as the Pats' No. 1 back.

If you held on to Blount in dark times, again, my advice is to sell him high. There is just too much variance here to feel comfortable. That said, anyone with a waiver priority should be quick to jump on the bandwagon.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.