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More teams on bye equals more questions.
Week 5 kicks off tonight, and we are already a quarter of the way through the fantasy season. Honestly, that makes me pretty darn sad. You need a win, and if you don’t, well, keep doing what you’re doing, I guess.
Q: Does Stevan Ridley emerge into what we drafted him to be? (TheReidOption)
AP: I wrote about Ridley a few weeks ago as the biggest fantasy bust of the season. I don’t see myself changing that tune anytime this season. Obviously, Ridley is the most talented back on the Patriots roster, but it hasn’t shown this year. Whether he has been fumbling, dropping passes, whatever. He just hasn’t been good. And, of course, when Shane Vereen went down, everyone thought Ridley would be awesome. Not at all. Instead, New England has become more of a committee approach, as Brandon Bolden is seeing third-down work, while LeGarrette Blount has seen 23 carries over the last two weeks, and considering Ridley is now banged up and missed two straight practices, his stock could be dropping even more. If you can get anything (and I mean anything) for Ridley right now, I’d go for it. He won’t be the workhorse in this offense, and once Vereen comes back, it’ll be even worse.
Q: Need to drop one: Dwayne Bowe or Julian Edelman? (Ariel Rollins)
AP: Man, I get a ton of questions regarding Bowe, and I get it. He isn’t getting the necessarily looks in an Andy Reid offense that fantasy owners would expect, and as a result, he currently ranks as just inside the top-50 among receivers. However, no matter what, he will continue to be the top option in the passing game, whether Alex Smith begins to force him the ball or not. The same cannot be said for Edelman, who’s true value hinges on the injury status of Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola. If those two are on the field, Edelman becomes useless, especially if you aren’t in a PPR format. Bowe is the superior talent, and I’d keep him.
Q: Colin Kaepernick or Tony Romo this week? (Vinay Shah)
AP: Boy, I love me some Romo. Neither quarterback has the greatest matchup in the world, but I would much rather prefer Romo’s against the Broncos. I expect Romo to have to sling the ball around quite a bit to keep up with the machine in Peyton Manning, and that volume is something I tend to target. Denver has allowed 327 passing yards per contest through four games this season, and the game is in Dallas, which benefits Romo. During his last eight games in Dallas, Romo is averaging 340.5 passing yards per game and has found the end zone 20 times. I like Romo’s weapons better than Kaepernick, and until I see him start to run like we have been accustomed to seeing (which boosts his weekly value), I’m not putting Kaepernick inside my top-12. Romo, meanwhile, comes in at QB8 this week.
Q: What are your thoughts on Shane Vereen when he returns? (Pat Donnelly)
AP: It’s tough to say, especially with a team like the Patriots. He is definitely worth a roster spot, as I have stashed him for weeks now. I think he will immediately slide into the passing-down role, especially when you consider that Amendola and Gronkowski aren’t exactly sipping out of the fountain of health. One could definitely make the argument that he is a better running back than Ridley right now, and if the Patriots are willing to give Blount almost as much work as him, I’m sure Vereen will get his fair share of work as well.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
