Stevan Ridley had a sub-par Friday night for the Patriots in their win over the Buccaneers, rushing for 18 yards on five carries, while failing to score or add a target in the passing game.
Stevan Ridley has a quiet Friday, fantasy owners shouldn’t care
Stevan Ridley didn’t make a lot of noise for the Patriots on Friday. We break down the fantasy implications.
The Patriots ran wild in Week 1 with Ridley putting up 92 yards on just eight carries. He had a big season last year, totaling 12 touchdowns and 1,263 rushing yards on 290 carries. Ridley was the main cog in the Patriots rushing attack that led the NFL in rushing scores in 2012.
Fantasy impact: If one thing is clear, it's that Ridley is going to dominate the carries for the Patriots. The team is going to use backup Shane Vereen as a wild-card option and line him up all over the field, so that should mean plenty of snaps at tailback for Ridley. The LSU product could also get more chances to improve on his six receptions from last year, too.
The only concern for Ridley was his fumbling, so as long as he doesn’t revert back to that and can stay healthy, he seems like a lock to be a top-12 back in standard leagues. Although, PPR owners should be cognizant of his lack of receptions.
