The New England Patriots are working with a rotation of three running backs through three games in the season. As of now, Stevan Ridley remains the go-to starting back. Brandon Bolden catches passes out of the backfield and LeGarrette Blount is short-yardage workhorse. While many fantasy owners bit on the Patriots run game due to the lack of talent at wide receivers, but so far things are not working out, leaving many wondering if Ridley will remain the starter.
Ridley has been deemed the crucial piece of the Patriots offense, but he has not been that crucial so far. Fumbles have plagued Ridley's production and the hearts of fantasy owners alike. Ridley was more than impressive in 2012, putting up over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. That made him a top-10 fantasy pick heading into 2013. However, after losing the faith of head coach Bill Belichick, could a change be coming?
Bolden is a talented back and might be worthy of a glance. He looked strong against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, putting up a 46-yard run to cap off his time as a rotational back. However, he was only given three carries total. Blount is great at eating up minutes on the clock and his fumble history is not as ugly as Ridley's.
Fantasy owners should not give up on Ridley so fast. The Patriots are committed to a rotational run game and with the team's top receivers returning in the next few weeks, Ridley's carries could decrease, but he will likely remain the starting back.
The Atlanta Falcons have not given up too many rushing yards per game this season. Opponents are averaging just 79.0 yards per game. Leading rushers are only averaging 3.8 yards per carry. This is a bad week to start any Patriots back. With Rob Gronkowski probable for the game, Ridley may not see too much action, but he will continue to get his carries. Belichick understands the Falcons defense will pose some issues for the run game.
"They have real good team speed, they're well coached and they're athletic," Belichick said, via AtlantaFalcons.com. "We can't let them be disruptive up front, we have to be careful because there's a lot of experienced guys back there. Those players will take the ball away from you if you're not careful or if you're sloppy in your passing game."