Stevan Ridley: Should Fantasy Owners Panic?

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The New England Patriots are 3-0 and everything, for the most part, is going well. Despite the fact that Tom Brady has a shortage of weapons in the passing game, New England has still managed to gut out wins and sit atop their division.

One crucial part of the offense that has not been so crucial thus far is the running game of Stevan Ridley. After fumbling in week one, Ridley has continued downhill over three weeks and it appears he is not going to get a bulk load of carries until he proves himself back to head coach Bill Belichick.

So, fantasy owners, are you worried yet? You should be, for now.

Both LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden have played well in their time on the field. The Patriots are going about their run game more as a committee at the moment, and you can’t blame them. It keeps the three backs fresh each time they’re on the field and gives the offense a different kind of look depending on who is out there.

Ridley is coming off a 2012 where he totaled over 1,200 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns that gave him the nod as a top-10 fantasy back heading into this season. So far, of course, that has not been the case.

Here is my advice to current owners: Don’t give up just yet. Ridley is certainly the best pure runner the Patriots have and if he can gain some momentum, he’ll work his way into more carries. Keep him on your bench until he does just that.

Otherwise, you could try and trade him right now to someone else who is willing to buy low. But, will it be worth it in the end to you? That’s the part we don’t know right now. If you have another back you can fill in while Ridley figures things out, keep him on the bench and wait it out. Otherwise, give it a shot to try and trade him.

There’s no easy answer here, other than hoping he can gain some favor in the eyes of his coach sooner rather than later.

Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.