New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley was practicing with the team on Wednesday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Ridley is dealing with a thigh/knee injury that kept him out of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stevan Ridley back at practice, fantasy value looking up
Stevan Ridley is back at team practice on Wednesday. We break down the fantasy implications.
Jared Wickerham
Ridley did not practice at all prior to that game, so him being at practice Wednesday is a big deal. It’s unclear if he’ll be officially listed as a limited participant when it’s all said and done, but it’s a big step in the right direction for the Patriots’ starter, regardless.
LeGarrette Blount carried the load against the Bengals, but he had a costly fumble. Blount had 12 carries for 51 yards in New England's first loss of the season. Ridley has 47 carries for 174 yards with no touchdowns this season. He has lower yardage than Blount, who has fewer carries than he does.
Fantasy Impact: Blount was supposed to come in and be the backup for Ridley, who had a breakout season last year. That hasn’t entirely been the case, and Ridley missing more time can only obfuscate things further when it comes to the running back hierarchy. It seems like he’ll be ready to come back, however, and if he plays well, he’ll earn the lion’s share of the carries. Whether or not that will be the case so soon after an injury remains to be seen.
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