The New England Patriots have Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen in the mix to be their top RB this season and fantasy football owners in Week 1 should look at those names as starters over James White or Brandon Bolden, as they have the most experience of the group and are the more likely options to put up fantasy points this year, although White could end up as a sleeper in deep leagues.
Ridley previously was looked at as the starter but now that is in question, as ESPN beat writer Mike Reiss writes that Ridley may not even make the roster this season. That seems a bit much, but fantasy owners should keep an eye on those developments as the week moves to the start of the schedule. With that in mind, Vereen is the better option the first week of the season and especially in PPR leagues, as he is a great receiver out of the backfield.
Ridley had his best season two years ago, rushing for 1,263 yards on the season and scoring 12 touchdowns, but last year his numbers were down. He played in 14 games and those two missed games were for issues with ball control and the head ball coach in Bill Belichick and that is why fantasy owners have some pause with him right now. Ridley went for 773 yards on 178 carries and that number was down from 290 carries the previous season.
Last season Ridley had some issues for ball control and he was pushed out of the starting job and now that Vereen is coming back from an injury, he could end up as the starting back. Vereen is a great pass catching receiver out of the backfield and he could be a great fantasy option in PPR leagues, as he was on his way to a great season before getting injuries last year and he came back for the playoffs and showed off what he could do.
Vereen isn't known as a great rusher compared to his pass catching skills, but he has been getting playing time in the preseason with the first team offense and that likely means he will be the starter. Vereen comes in after making 47 catches for 427 yards and that was in just eight games. Vereen had more receptions than rushing attempts, but the previous season he had a career high 251 yards and he could end up as the most consistent back for the team.
Belichick loves going against what everyone expects though, so in deeper leagues grabbing names like Bolden and White are smart options. Bolden is also used in the passing game sometimes and last season he had 21 catches to go along with 271 rushing yards and he could get more touches if Ridley is gone. White comes in with strong numbers from college and while that doesn't always translate, he has had quite the college career with 45 touchdowns in four seasons. White had 1052 yards as a freshman and 1444 yards as a senior and that could give him a chance to step up this season.