The Patriots running back situation is easy to figure out after the fact, because the team's usage of their two-headed tandem is fairly predictable based on how the game is going. That doesn't mean this is an easy puzzle to solve, however.
For the third time in five games, Stevan Ridley rushed the ball 19-plus times Sunday against the Bengals, as he finished with 113 yards on 27 carries in Week 5. Predictably, that came during a comfortable 43-17 win, one in which the Patriots were basically in control throughout. That mirrors the situations in Week 2 and 3, the Patriots other two wins.
Ridley played 58 percent of the team's snaps, while Shane Vereen was on the field for 40 percent of the team's plays. Vereen was still productive, finishing with 12 touches for 108 all-purpose yards, but he clearly took a backseat as the Patriots opted to rely heavily on the running game. Predictably, Vereen's most productive games have come with the Patriots playing from behind, with the exception of Week 5.
The problem for Fantasy owners is it has been awfully hard to guess just how any given Patriots game will go. They won comfortably, as expected, against the Vikings, but barely squeaked out a win over the Raiders. They followed up a trouncing at the hands of the Chiefs by beating the Bengals soundly Sunday.
As it stands, both halves of this duo are tough to rely on at this point in the season. Both are certainly worth owning, but you are rolling the dice every time you put them into your starting lineup.