A Patriots source told ESPN's Adam Schefter this regarding RB Sony Michel's knee injury: “Expect it will be a little bit but not overly serious. Won’t know til they look at it Monday.” It sounds like Michel avoided a season-ending injury but figures to miss some time. We should learn more later today. James White and Kenjon Barner are left as the Patriots' healthy RBs right now. They figure to add someone this week. Free agent and former Patriot Mike Gillislee's name has been tossed around.

The Saints have released RB Boston Scott. The rookie looked like the #2 RB a few days ago but was deemed expendable after New Orleans added RB Mike Gillislee. It's now just Gillislee and Alvin Kamara in the backfield for Sunday's opener against the Bucs. We're expecting a hefty workload for Kamara and a pass-heavy game plan from the Saints. Gillislee figures to mix in for a handful of carries.

The Saints have signed former Patriots RB Mike Gillislee to a 1-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Gillislee steps into the spot vacated by Jonathan Williams' Saturday release and could see meaningful touches during Mark Ingram's 4-game suspension. We'll, of course, need to wait at least a week to see before trying to use Gillislee in fantasy lineups. His arrival keeps Trey Edmunds -- and perhaps Boston Scott -- buried on the depth chart for now. Alvin Kamara is the only Saints RB who should be in Week 1 fantasy football plans.

The Patriots have released RB Mike Gillislee. That figures to mean RB Jeremy Hill has made the team. He'll be 4th on a healthy RB depth chart behind Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel and James White. But Burkhead and Michel are already dealing with injuries. If either misses time this season, Hill could be a factor. He's a name to keep on your watch list.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reports that Patriots RB Rex Burkhead has a "slight tear" in his knee. "But it’s been deemed a minor injury and something he’ll be able to play through," Howe adds. This remains a murky situation (as usual with the Patriots), and no other media members have reported on Burkhead's injury as of Friday morning. We'll continue to look for updates, but Burkhead obviously comes with plenty of risk in drafts right now. It's completely unclear what's torn in his knee, how effective he'll be playing through it and how long it'll hold up. New England, of course, is still without rookie RB Sony Michel, who had fluid drained from his knee a couple of weeks ago. That leaves Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee as the healthy early-down backs. Both guys saw time with the 1st-team offense in Thursday night's preseason game, but Hill again out-performed Gillislee. The former Bengal is averaging 4.8 yards per carry through 2 exhibitions vs. Gillislee's 2.8. Hill is looking more and more intriguing as a late-round flier by the day.

Patriots RB Rex Burkhead missed the preseason opener and the last 2 practices with an undisclosed injury. We'll see how long he remains sidelined, but it's worth noting after he struggled staying healthy last year. Burkhead missed 4 games with a rib injury and 3 more (including a playoff game) with a sprained knee. RB Sony Michel remains out with his knee issue, leaving James White, Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee as New England's healthy backs. Hill out-played Gillislee in the preseason opener and has reportedly gotten more 1st-teams reps since.

The Patriots selected Georgia RB Sony Michel with the 31st overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. It’s the first 1st-round RB for New England since Laurence Maroney in 2006. That didn’t work out so well, but Michel has the potential to fare much better. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry across his 4-year college career and flashed pass-catching ability with seasons of 26 and 22 grabs. Michel is electric in the open field with surprising power. The biggest concern is a lengthy injury history that includes a torn ACL and a pair of ankle injuries. This is a exciting landing spot for Michel. New England’s backfield is crowded on paper, but Rex Burkhead, James White, Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee are all role players. Consider Michel the odds-on favorite to lead the 2018 backfield in touches.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee (knee) didn’t practice all week and is out for this weekend’s game against the Jets. RB Rex Burkhead (knee) remains out, while RB James White (ankle) is listed as questionable after a limited week of practice. RB Dion Lewis is in for a huge workload on Sunday.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee (knee) missed his 2nd straight practice on Thursday. He's seemingly in danger of missing this weekend's game against the Jets. With RB Rex Burkhead (knee) out and RB James White (ankle) iffy, RB Dion Lewis could be in for a massive workload.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee is a healthy scratch for today's game against the Dolphins. New England will continue to roll with Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and James White in the backfield.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee is inactive for today's game against Oakland. Gillislee was inactive last week, too. The Pats will move forward with Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead as primary rushers.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee is a healthy scratch for tonight's game against the Broncos. New England will roll with RBs Dion Lewis, James White and Rex Burkhead. This could be a gameplan-based decision for the Pats, but Gillislee's role has been dwindling anyway, with fewer than 12 carries in 3 straight.

Patriots RBs Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, James White and Dion Lewis are all active for tonight's opener against the Chiefs. We're eager to see the backfield usage here, but it's a situation to avoid in Week 1 fantasy lineups in possible. White is the safest play as the likely passing-down back.

Patriots RB Rex Burkhead practiced on Monday, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Burkhead missed the 3rd preseason game with an undisclosed injury, which allowed RB Mike Gillislee to regain some momentum. This backfield remains wide open heading into the regular season. Burkhead will be tough to trust in Week 1 fantasy lineups but is still worth a look in the double-digit rounds of drafts.

Patriots HC Bill Belichick said RB Mike Gillislee has "quite a ways to go." The free-agent addition missed most of the spring and training camp with a hamstring injury. "He works hard to stay on top of things and to stay caught up and we've worked hard to catch him up, but he still has some ground to make up," Belichick added. Gillislee looked solid in Friday night's preseason game, carrying 8 times for 38 yards and a score. There's still plenty of upside here for a guy who could emerge as New England's early-down back. But it's going to be tough to rely on Gillislee in Week 1 fantasy lineups.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee said he returned to a full practice Tuesday, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. That marked the 1st time since early August, when Gillislee hit the sideline because of a hamstring issue that also bothered him in the spring. Rex Burkhead has generated slight buzz in Gillislee's absence, most notably catching a TD pass from Tom Brady in the 2nd preseason game. We'll see whether Gillislee takes the field for the 3rd pretend contest and/or whether we get any other indication of his role. He's been a risky pick for a while at his Round 6 ADP.

Patriots RB Mike Gillislee is dealing with a hamstring injury, according to insider Jeff Howe. He was also reportedly bothered by the hammy in OTAs. Gillislee is the favorite for early-down work in New England but can't afford to miss much time in a crowded backfield. Although there's big TD upside here, he's overpriced at his current 6th-round ADP.

Fantasy drafters are confident that Mike Gillislee will operate as the Patriots' early-down back this season. He's going in the early 6th round of recent MFL10 drafts. Rex Burkhead, meanwhile, is lasting into the 17th. While we're still betting on Gillislee producing more fantasy points, the situation isn't as clear as those price tags would suggest. In fact, Burkhead has been receiving goal-line reps in training camp -- as well as impressing as a pass-catcher. He might just be the most well-rounded back on New England's roster. Insider Phil Perry went as far as predicting that Burkhead will lead the team's RBs in snaps this season. He's well worth a look late in drafts.

The Bills declined to match the Patriots' 2-year, $6.4 million contract offer to restricted free agent RB Mike Gillislee. So he's off to New England, while Buffalo receives a 5th-round pick as compensation. Gillislee joins an extremely crowded backfield that includes Rex Burkhead, James White and Dion Lewis. Gillislee and Burkhead figure to be battling mostly for early-down, ball-carrying duties. And, most importantly, the goal-line role. Patriots RBs have averaged 16.4 rushing scores over the past 5 seasons, with 18+ in 3 of those. In Buffalo, meanwhile, talented 2nd-year RB Jonathan Williams now has a big opportunity to step in as LeSean McCoy's backup.