How does David Andrews' absence impact Sony Michel, James White's fantasy value?

The horrible news regarding New England Patriots center David Andrews being hospitalized on Monday due to blood clots in his lungs was a big hit to the team's morale and offensive line.

If you play fantasy football, this news has an impact on some of the player's you may have on your team or intend to draft to your team. Andrews' value to the interior of the Patriots offensive line was tremendous. He has started 57 games over the past four seasons for New England and was a primary reason the unit was so dominant and was able to go run-heavy during the 2018 season.

Now that Andrews is in jeopardy of missing the entire 2019 season, how should you feel about two of the primary ball handlers out of the Patriots' backfield, Sony Michel and James White, in fantasy?

As of Tuesday, Aug. 27, Michel's consensus ADP from Fantasy Pros has him as the RB23 and No. 47 overall, which means he is going at the end of the 4th round in 12-team, PPR leagues. James White is listed as the RB27 and No. 60 overall, so he typically goes at the end of the 5th round in drafts.

Since we are on the topic of consensus'; those who are watching closely at camp and preseason action believe that offensive lineman Ted Karras, who will be the one to replace Andrews in the starting lineup, is a very capable replacement for the four-year starter and will have the offensive line looking no different than if Andrews was still healthy and starting. Karras has been with the Patriots for three seasons but hasn't been able to showcase his talents with the starting offensive line unit because of such stability/durability in the interior of the line.

Taking that into consideration, one should still be slightly hesitant to draft Michel and White at their current ADPs.

For Michel, his draft stock should take a tiny hit, though not much. Taking into account that there is also a new starting left tackle (Isaiah Wynn) on New England's offensive line, there are now two players on that unit who still have to prove they can consistently open running lanes against a first-team opposing defense.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to wait on Michel and try to snag him in the sixth round of your draft(s). However, if you are comfortable taking him at his current ADP, I won't talk you out of it. Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has worked miracles with numerous offensive linemen in New England in the past, so there's no reason to believe he won't continue to do the same with this group of men in 2019.

White's stock may actually rise a little bit in wake of the Andrews injury news. In the event that the Patriots struggle early in the season to find consistent run support on the offensive line, New England may opt to the short passing game which would involve more of White out fo the backfield as a receiver, whether it be on swing passes or as a receiver out-wide. If that's the case, then we may see him produce similar fantasy numbers to what he had in the first half of the 2018 season (he had 52 catches from Weeks 1-9, averaging 21.9 fantasy points during that span). If he produces like that again this year, then White is way undervalued in fantasy drafts heading into the 2019 season.

Don't be afraid to grab White in the fourth round of your draft(s), which is a round earlier than where he was prior to Andrews being removed from the lineup.