The New England Patriots will continue to take a patient and conservative approach with running back Dion Lewis' recovery from a torn left ACL, but things are going well.
Some close to Lewis feel that he's about one month away from being able to play in a game, which naturally means that his availability for the season opener Sept. 11 in Arizona is looking good at this point (assuming no unexpected setbacks).
Lewis tore his ACL in a Nov. 8 game against the Washington Redskins and underwent surgery on Nov. 18. Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery.
While Lewis' progress is encouraging, the team is bringing him along slowly because there is little urgency at this time of year, which is consistent with their approach for most players coming back from surgery. So while Lewis' recovery has been on a promising track, his level of participation in OTAs might still be limited (if he participates at all) and there is a possibility that approach could also extend into the start of training camp.
Lewis was New England’s best fantasy back through the first eight weeks of the season before tearing his ACL in Week 9. In six healthy games in that span, Lewis averaged 12.8 touches for 95 yards and 0.67 TD. On a per game basis, he was #10 in standard and #5 in PPR at the time of his injury. According to ESPN Boston, Lewis’s recovery is ahead of schedule and “there’s no reason to think Lewis won’t be available for when the games count.” If he’s good to go for Week 1, we believe he’ll be the team’s RB1 heading to the season, barring the addition of Arian Foster.
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