The New England Patriots no longer have LeGarrette Blount leading the charge of the ground game this season. After putting up career-high numbers in 2013, the running back went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, leaving New England shorthanded. Now, the ground game rests on the legs of Stevan Ridley, something that is not working out so far. As Ridley risks being a roster cut, is James White the next-best-thing for the Patriots?
Ridley has ball security issues that are driving Bill Belichick nuts. Last season the running back was benched several times for fumbling and he has already committed the crime twice this preseason. According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Ridley could be primed for falling victim to roster cuts as the Patriots are likely to be forced to choose between him and Brandon Bolden.
Financially, Bolden stays. Ridley is owed $940,000 with a $16,000 signing bonus according to Spotrac. Bolden is owed $575,000 with $5,000 of that being guaranteed. Not only is Bolden's contract easier to keep on, but he has also proved to be the more versatile running back, contributing on special teams while catching passes out of the backfield. Ridley is a downhill runner and while he is talented at that, his fumbling overshadows it.
Reiss believes the Patriots offense will have more options if they have a rotation of Boldin, Shane Vereen and White. Will Ridley get cut? It seems unlikely given he has been penciled in as the starter more times than not. However, even if Ridley remains on the roster, who is the best fantasy grab out of the bunch? White has been earning rave reviews from head coach Bill Belichick, enough to get himself first-team reps in training camp while Ridley was relegated to second-team.
"He's a very interesting and versatile player," Belichick said via SiriusXM NFL Radio. "He does a good job in the passing game and in the running game -- both inside and outside. Blitz pickup -- we have a pretty extensive offense for him to learn, but he's working hard at it. We'll just let him go and see how it goes, but I think he has the ability to compete on all three downs, in both the running game and the passing game."
Picking a Patriots running back for fantasy purposes is a headache since Belichick might opt to not stick with the same guy twice. Last year they operated under a committee of runners, everyone getting equal carries and that could happen again. For now, Ridley is the smarter pick since he just two years removed from a 1,200-yard season. However, if the fumbling continues, he might not be on the roster to impact fantasy stats.