Sony Michel Back Among Top 5 Offensive Rookie of the Year Contenders
- Patriots RB Sony Michel literally ran himself back into NFL OROY reckoning with his impressive Week 4 performance
- Michel had a season-high 25 carries for 12 yards in New England’s 38-7 rout of the Dolphins
- Minus Rex Burkhead (IRL), Michel’s heavy workload figures to continue
Sony Michel might not be the name you had on the tip of your tongue when pondering NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates. In fact, up until last week, maybe you weren’t even considering him in the least.
2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds
Well, you best get down to the business of considering, because Michel is back in the race (see Top 5 tab in graph above) and looks like he’ll be here to stay. His Offensive Rookie of the Year odds dropped from an average of +2300 to +1200 in the span of a week.
Odds to Win 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year
| Player | 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds |
|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | +155 |
| Saquon Barkley | +275 |
| Calvin Ridley | +550 |
| Sam Darnold | +700 |
| Sony Michel | +1200 |
*Follow the link in the table to see odds for all the contenders
Opportunity Knocks for Michel
When RB Rex Burkhead was placed on injured reserve after suffering a neck injury during New England’s Week 3 loss at Detroit, it opened the door for Michel. At the time, Burkhead was the team’s leading rusher with 86 yards on 24 carries.
Sony Michel has a pretty good path to 15-20 touches per game now. If he's not a disaster, there's a ton of fantasy value to be had here. Must-roster and RB2 option for now.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 26, 2018
Michel’s progress had been slow through the first three weeks of his rookie campaign. He had one carry in Week 1, 11 in Week 2, and 15 in Week 3. In Boston, where vitriol over their team’s athletes is always quick to arrive, it didn’t take long for Michel to get slagged on sports talk radio.
“You mentioned Sony Michel…”
“He sucks. He blows. That guy’s awful.”
/becomes first Patriots rookie to rush for 100 yards since 2012 https://t.co/Klp5cKq4iK
— Wes Blankenship (@Wes_nship) September 30, 2018
That was before last week’s breakout performance in which he scored his first NFL touchdown and handled the ball on 48 percent of the Patriots’ offensive plays.
Michel Plays the Right Position
If you are looking for the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year, running back is a good place to begin your search.
Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both scored their first career NFL touchdowns today. Surely this is just a coincidence #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/KwJB87EKUR
— DawgNation (@DawgNation) September 30, 2018
Two of the last three and three of the last five winners of the award played the position, including Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints last season and Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams in 2015.
The last Patriots player to win the award was a running back, Curtis Martin in 1995.
Is Michel a Good Value Pick?
No, we don’t think that he is at all. While it figures that Michel is going to get a boatload of touches the rest of the way, James White is still New England’s go-to back, the guy who’s going to get the money shots for glory in the key situations.
If you look at last season’s offensive rookie of the year race, flash rules the day over the workhorse. Kamara didn’t get nearly as many chances to handle the ball as Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt, who led the NFL in rushing, but when the ball was in Kamara’s hands, he made it count, scoring 14 TDs.
So while Michel will prove a solid addition to your fantasy team, don’t bet on him being the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
