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Both Stevan Ridley and David Wilson screwed over their fantasy owners with fumbles this week (trust me, I own Ridley). In different situations both would be in serious trouble of losing fantasy relevance, but in both cases they will be fine because both the New York Giants and the New England Patriots need their starting running backs.
For the Giants the situation is extremely dire. Andre Brown is out for the foreseeable future. Da’Rel Scott is not an NFL running back and just hurt his knee. The Giants just signed Brandon Jacobs, but do not expect him to do big things as he has not averaged four yards a carry in two years. Wilson is simply far more talented than the other options. Tom Coughlin probably does not trust Wilson or want to play him, but he is out of options. Wilson may have fumbling issues, but he will be useful in fantasy because the Giants have to play him.
Stevan Ridley did fumble twice as well, but this issue is more of a new problem for him. Additionally, Bill Belichick is more forgiving than Tom Coughlin. The real thing going for Ridley though is that Shane Vereen just badly injured his wrist and will be out for 10 weeks. That means Belichick must choose between the talent of LeGarrette Blount or Ridley. Belichick is a smart man and knows who is the better option.
Look, both guys are in the doghouse and might have bad fantasy games this week, but they will be starting fantasy running backs by mid-season, so don’t trade for ten cents on the dollar just yet.
Jay Cullen is a New York Giants and Fantasy writer. Follow him on Twitter or add him on Google.
