A week after going for 201 rushing yards and four touchdowns, New England Patriots running back Jonas Gray did nothing Sunday. Normally, "did nothing" means a player struggled, had a couple yards, but didn't produce. For Gray, though, "did nothing" meant the running back didn't even see the field Sunday, not playing a snap. Returned Patriot LeGarrette Blount instead carried the load in the team's 34-9 win over the Detroit Lions.
Fantasy football waiver wire, Week 13: LeGarrette Blount shines, Jonas Gray sits
Right after one running back has a historic game, another one carries the load Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Gray was held out of New England’s practice Friday after arriving late. The team didn’t say whether his inactivity Sunday was a result of that, but it stands to reason, as Gray looked so good a week ago that it’s hard to imagine a benching based on performance.
Meanwhile, the Patriots didn't really suffer. Blount, acquired earlier this week after being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers, carried the ball 12 times Sunday for 78 yards -- a 6.5 yards-per-carry average -- and two touchdowns, while Shane Vereen ran for 12 yards on eight carries and added 48 receiving yards on eight receptions.
Fantasy impact: It’s always this way with New England, with fantasy owners just hoping they can guess which running back to use and Bill Belichick changing it at his whim. It’s hard to criticize, as it clearly works for the team, but trying to guess who might do what for New England in a given game is just impossible.
Ultimately, all three of Vereen, Blount and Gray need to be owned on fantasy rosters, but for now the player who would be best to use each week is a huge question mark.
