The New England Patriots lost running back Stevan Ridley for the season due to tears of his ACL and MCL in Week 5. Ridley was becoming the bell-cow runner for the Patriots and they tended to count on him a lot when they were up.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 7: Shane Vereen
Vereen should have a bigger piece of the pie on Thursday, but should you start him? We break down the fantasy implications.
Jim Rogash
Now, they're going to have to lean more on Shane Vereen as a featured guy. He was getting plenty of goal-line snaps even while Ridley was healthy, so he should get even more while still getting a ton of looks in the passing game.
His overall touches haven't really been there, carrying the ball just five times against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 to go with just one catch for a combined 7 yards. He's failed to carry the ball more than nine times all year, but that should change.
Fantasy impact: There was a lot of buzz on Vereen around the time of fantasy drafts, but he hasn't lived up to the hype. He gets his chance now, but it does come against a solid Jets run defense. He's still a very strong RB2 in PPR leagues while those in standard leagues can view him as a risky RB2.
