FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 1/14/2013 3:15pm et

New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen played in 38 of the team's 66 offensive snaps in the AFC Divisional Round. In the regular season, Vereen had been averaging 9.8 snaps per game; however, his increase in playing time came after RB Danny Woodhead was knocked out on the first play with a thumb injury. Vereen is Woodhead's backup in the team's "passing back" role. He recorded 41 rushing yards and a rushing touchdowns, in addition to 83 receiving yards and two receiving scores, in the victory.

Huddle Up: Vereen's showing dents the fantasy value of Stevan Ridley, who saw just 27 snaps in the Patriots' playoff win, heading into 2013. It's a long offseason, but if you want to snag Ridley at a value on draft day--and can stomach the risk of Bill Belichick's ever-changing vision for the New England backfield--don't hesitate to talk up Vereen's strong showing against the Texans.

Posted: 10/23/2012 7:14pm et

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had good things to say about RB Shane Vereen after he ran for a career-high 49 yards on eight carries against the New York Jets in Week 7. He also averaged an impressive 6.1 yards per carry. 'Shane is a smart kid. I think he has a good understanding of the game: the running game, passing game, pass protection, space plays, where to be, how to get open and find space, that kind of thing,' said Belichick. 'He's an elusive guy, he has good balance, has good playing strength for his size, not the biggest guy but he has good playing strength.' Belichick indicated that he would like to give Vereen more opportunities in the future.

Huddle Up: No surprise as we are talking about the Patriots' RBs here. Stevan Ridley still should be the main man, but Danny Woodhead and now Vereen will continue to cut into Ridley's touches.

Posted: 9/12/2012 2:34pm et

New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen (foot) is participating in practice Wednesday, Sept. 12. Vereen has been out since Aug. 24, with a foot injury.

Huddle Up: Stevan Ridley owners should be slightly nervous about Vereen's return despite Ridley's fantastic Week 1 performance. Hopefully he has done enough to lock down the majority of the playing time in that backfield, but you never know with Bill Belichick. Vereen, meanwhile, remains a deeper-league stash for the time being.

Posted: 9/7/2012 6:07pm et

New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen (foot) did not participate in practice Friday, Sept. 7, and has been ruled out for Week 1.

Huddle Up: Start Stevan Ridley. Of course, this just means Danny Woodhead is going to score two touchdowns as per the Bill Belichick law of fantasy football running backs.

Posted: 9/6/2012 8:01pm et

New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen (leg, foot) did not practice Thursday, Sept. 6.

Huddle Up: Stevan Ridley's fantasy prospects are improving by the day as his backfield mate Vereen hasn't practiced all week. Also bump up Danny Woodhead in your weekly rankings, but Ridley is the Pats' back who stands to gain the most if Vereen can't go Sunday against the Titans.

Posted: 8/24/2012 11:49pm et

New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen (undisclosed) limped off the field after suffering an undisclosed injury in the third preseason game Friday, Aug. 24.

Huddle Up: There was no immediate word concerning Vereen's status -- and things could be murky for a while considering its the Patriots we're dealing with. Even if Vereen were to miss any time, New England has depth at RB with Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead and Brandon Bolden all able runners.

Posted: 8/10/2012 12:44pm et

New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen had a nice showing Thursday, Aug. 9, against the New Orleans Saints. He rushed 11 times for 64 yards during the second half of the game, picking up 73 total yards on the team's 97-yard touchdown drive. Vereen also caught two passes for 17 yards and served as the team's third-down back later in the game when rookie Brandon Bolden was worked in on first and second down. "You are only given so many opportunities. To be able to go out there and be able to play well as an offense - we still have a ton, a ton to work on and get better with - but for that little drive I felt like the offense, we did pretty well," Vereen said.

Huddle Up: It was the second half of the first preseason game so Vereen wasn't exactly facing the '85 Bears defense. But after Thursday's strong showing he may get an opportunity to run with the big boys later in the exhibition slate and heat up the competition with Stevan Ridley for regular-season touches.