The Patriots are going to have a tough time replacing Stevan Ridley in the running game, and we will get our first glimpse of how the team plans to do that in Week 7 against the Jets Thursday. The primary options to replace Ridley are Brandon Bolden and James White, though Bolden would not tell the Boston Herald Wednesday how he expects to be used in Thursday's matchup.
"I'm going into this game just doing whatever they ask me to do, whether it's special teams or offense," he said.
Neither Bolden nor White has much of a track record, though Bolden does at least have one 100-yard game under his belt back in 2012. He should get the first crack at an increased role, as he received six carries in Week 6, but Patriots head coach Bill Bellichek is notoriously fickle with running backs, so he could have a short leash Thursday.
We should have a much better idea of how the Patriots' backfield share will shake out after Thursday, but Fantasy owners will want to steer clear for Week 7. The Jets have allowed just 3.6 yards per carry and 13.0 Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, so Bolden only makes sense as a desperation player this Week. White is just a long-term flier for now.