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I love me some Shane Vereen this season. He is a guy that I will most definitely be targeting in the middle rounds of each fantasy football draft that I do in 2013.
After two seasons of not getting much playing time, I think that Vereen will be a key part of the New England Patriots‘ offense in this campaign. Late last year, especially in the playoffs, Vereen really started to come on for the Patriots. New England used him in a ton of different ways and he put up some impressive stats, including a three-touchdown game in the first round against the Houston Texans.
I think that we will see Vereen become a much more important piece of the Patriots’ offense this year. First of all, with the departure of Danny Woodhead, Vereen is the most logical player to get his touches. Woodhead specialized as a pass-catching third-down back for New England and I think most, if not all of his work will go to Vereen.
As we all know, the Patriots have lost many key pieces to their offense this season. Wes Welker walked via free agency, Rob Gronkowski is struggling with injuries and Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder and released by the Patriots. Welker and Hernandez are not walking through that door, and the Patriots must find some players to replace them.
With his elite pass catching skills as a running back, I think that Vereen will be used all over the field and should help fill the void left by Welker, Hernandez and potentially Gronkowski.
Simply put, there are going to be a ton of targets that need to be replaced on the Patriots’ offense, which is one of the most productive offenses in the league. I see no reason why Vereen should not get a nice share of those targets. Vereen is being drafted anywhere from the sixth to ninth round. Once the sixth round starts, I start deciding when it is that I need to take Vereen.
If you can get him at the right value, Vereen could be a guy that helps lead you to fantasy football glory and he is certainly a player that I have my eyes on.
Daniel is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @D_Schmelzer and add him to your network on Google.
