BALLER MOVE: Add in All Dynasty Leagues / Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
Owned in 9% of Fleaflicker leagues
ANALYSIS: Who is James White? He’s a rookie running back weighing in at 5’9” and 204 lbs., taken by the Patriots in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Why am I mentioning him? Because Stevan Ridley tore his ACL / MCL on Sunday and is out for the season. White was one of our favorite preseason sleepers and is now a solid waiver wire stash for Week 7.
Shane Vereen is most likely owned in your league, and he really hasn’t done much since Week 1. Vereen is well worth owning, especially in PPR leagues, but I have a hard time trusting him. Some other fantasy sites expect that Brandon Bolden will be taking over the carries Ridley has left on the table, but I just don’t see it. In his two years with the Patriots, Bolden has never seen more than 56 carries. I think the Pats will look to White, who should be the future of their running game, to take over in Ridley’s absence. In the one game in which White was active, he had a very healthy 7.0 yards per carry.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to trust Patriots running backs. Brady loves his arm, and Belichick will always keep you guessing at what the game plan is. I own White in a dynasty league, a format in which I’d recommend grabbing him to see what he could give you. In other leagues, you can stash him off the waiver wire as we wait for this situation to clarify itself. He's still a shot in the dark for fantasy football owners, but the opportunity and talent is certainly there.
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