As Chip Kelly said last week, reading into a team’s unofficial depth charts during the preseason can be somewhat of a fool’s errand.
However, how teams divvy up reps during practice can be a more clear indicator of how teams truly view the players on their roster.
According to Phil Perry CSNNE.com, fourth-round rookie James White and Shane Vereen got the majority of the work with the New England Patriots first-team offensive on Wednesday.
Veteran Stevan Ridley? Not so much.
Ridley’s frequent fumbling problem has been a continual thorn in the side of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Ridley has fumbled four times in each of the last two seasons, with all four resulting in turnovers for New England last year.
With White only had four carries for nine yards in the Patriots preseason opener against the Washington Redskins last week, he appears turning heads in training camp and earning extra reps in practice.
Belichick has seemingly always made due with lesser heralded options at running back with Tom Brady manning the control of the New England offense. With White’s increased workload, it may be an indication to stay away from Ridley in your fantasy drafts this year. If you weren’t already, that is.