RB Shane Vereen, New England Patriots

HT: 5-8, WT: 203, Born: 3-2-1989, College: California, Drafted: Round 2

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full ADP list]

Overall: K Rudolph (89), M Ingram (90), Shane Vereen (91), M Austin (92), J Gordon (93)
Position: M Leshoure (87-RB34), M Ingram (90-RB35), Shane Vereen (91 - RB36), D Richardson (96-RB37), F Jackson (99-RB38)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: A Brown (87), J Gordon (88), Shane Vereen (89), O Daniels (90), D Richardson (91)
Position: M Ingram (83-RB29), A Brown (87-RB30), Shane Vereen (89 - RB31), D Richardson (91-RB32), E Lacy (97-RB33)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Outlook

With Danny Woodhead's departure, Shane Vereen should see a huge uptick in touches. While Stevan Ridley will get the bulk of the primary carries, Vereen should see a lot of the work on passing downs. While you can't automatically plug Danny Woodhead's 2012 numbers in for Vereen's 2013, Vereen should see enough receptions to make some noise both in terms of yardage and likely touchdowns as well. He may even see more work early if Rob Gronkowski is out, as Tom Brady could look to fill out his receiving options.

2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 4 - Vereen was involved early on, as he caught a pass coming out of backfield for five yards with two defenders hitting him instantly, before making one defender miss on a run for no gain. From then on however, he played second fiddle for Brandon Bolden and Stevan Ridley.

Week 5 - Vereen saw just a handful of snaps on the day, but did the most with his opportunities. His lone carry resulted in a goal line touchdown where he made a defender miss in the hole. Vereen was targeted on a wheel route against single coverage, drawing a defensive pass interference penalty from the linebacker. His touchdown was an example of the unpredictability of this running back situation. Depending on the opponent or game situation, it could be Ridley, Woodhead, Bolden, or Vereen seeing an increased role in this offense.

Week 7 - Shane Vereen started the game with the first team offense. The Patriots didn’t waste any time getting him involved. On his team’s first play, Brady completed a quick swing pass to Vereen that he turned into a 10-yard gain. On the next play, Vereen took a hand off left, allowed his blocks to set-up before accelerating for an11-yard game. Vereen didn’t see his next carry until midway through the second quarter.

During his team’s seventh drive, Vereen received four straight carries. The Patriots were holding a 23-13 lead at the time, so they gave their second-year runner an extended look. Vereen took his first carry of this series off right tackle and accelerated for 16 yards. The Patriots came back Vereen on the next play, giving him a carry up the middle for an eight-yard gain. Vereen ran his legs through the tacklers to pick up four extra yards. Throughout the game,the Patriots deployed Vereen in intervals and it paid off. Ridley is clearly the Patriots’ lead dog, but Vereen is a great space runner with extraordinary vision.

Week 8 - Vereen was called upon on 4th and one and scored an easy touchdown behind the right tackle. He also had a 14 yard carry that featured the juke of the game, bringing a linebacker to his knees before he ever had a chance to touch Vereeen. Vereen ran through an ankle tackle for a 17 yard reception in garbage time but deferred to Woodhead for most of the pass catching opportunities out of the backfield.

Week 10 - Vereen did not have much success running the ball on Sunday, rushing five times for five yards, with a long of five yards. Vereen was often hit in the backfield, with little to no shot at getting up field. What looked like a pretty good matchup for Vereen, especially after the numbers Bolden put up in week four was anything but for the backup RB. Vereen received one target in the passing game, catching the screen and picking up 11 yards on the play.

Week 11 - Vereen was thee second back in the game as he caught a quick screen pass from Brady, before turning upfield. However, the seven yard gain was negated by a holding penalty. The Patriots gave the ball straight back to Vereen as he slipped through the defense up the middle for an eight yard gain. Brady and Vereen couldn't connect over the middle when Brady tried to lead him away from a tackler by throwing the ball slightly behind him. Vereen showed off excellent speed with his next carry, as the Patriots offensive line created a good hole for him to run through for 13 yards. Vereen wasn't used much until the Patriots were running the clock in the fourth quarter. Vereen showed good speed and agility, but his late touchdown was as easy as could be.

Week 12 - Shane Vereen’s play making ability is undeniable. The second year running back is a shifty, dynamic runner in space and can make defenders miss. During the Patriots’ first touchdown drive, Vereen and Stevan Ridley split carries as the Patriots methodically worked their way down the field. On a 2nd-and-10 play from New York’s 32-yard line, Vereen accelerated up the middle for a 13-yard gain. Vereen almost broke the play for a touchdown, but Ellis Lankster grabbed his facemask and yanked him down. After the penalty, Vereen took the next two red zone carries for gains of four and two yards, respectively. During this drive, Vereen generated 26 yards on four carries and received two important red zone carries that normally go to Ridley. It’s worth noting that all four of Vereen’s carries went to the left side of New York’s defense.

Following a Shonn Greene fumble, the Patriots stuck with Vereen and their decision paid off. Vereen ran a simple wheel route into the flat, hauled in Brady’s pass, and accelerated down the left sideline for an 83-yard touchdown. Bart Scott was matched up against Vereen in man coverage, which is a total mismatch. Several Jet defenders had angles to cut off Vereen, but his second level speed proved to be too much.

During the second half, the Patriots continued to rotate Vereen and Ridley. On a 3rd-and-7 play from New York’s 11-yard line, Vereen ran an out-route, broke through a LaRon Landry tackle for an eight-yard gain. The Patriots gave Vereen the 1st-and-Goal carry from the four-yard line, but he was tackled at the one-yard line. As a team, the Patriots don’t have many ‘burners’, but Vereen’s impressive speed, coupled with his exception hands, makes him a dangerous player in space.

Week 13 - Vereen had just three official touches on the day, but was a factor more than his statistics can indicate. Two of his rushing attempts were impressive displays of balance and agility in close quarters with lateral explosion. In the passing game, Vereen was targeted on two occasions. Once, Vereen missed an opportunity for a screen pass when it was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Later, he was targeted deep down the sideline against linebacker coverage. Vereen drew a defensive pass interference penalty on the play, a gain that goes unnoticed in the box score. Vereen’s three rushing attemps were his lowest total since Week 6, but has six targets over the last three games.

Week 14 - Vereen had eight carries out of the backfield for the Patriots in relief of Steven Ridley. Vereen was more quick than powerful but the Patriots line did a nice job opening holes on inside rushes and sealing off the outside on end rushes. Vereen hits the hole quickly out of the backfield and excels at rushes to the left side. He did not have a carry near the endzone.

Week 15 - With the fumbling issues of Ridley, Vereen may have been able to carve a nice role for himself if he had not fumbled as well. Catching a screen and running up field, Vereen held the ball loosely at his side and Navorro Bowman was able to punch it out from behind. That was the end of Vereen’s day.

Week 16 - After his fumble last week, Vereen saw very limited snaps against Jacksonville. Late in the first half, he was split out wide on a snap, but did not see a target on the play. In the mid-third quarter, Vereen was involved in pass protection. He whiffed on the block, which led to a sack of Brady. It was a game of few chances, which he failed with, for Shane Vereen.

Week 17 - Vereen saw a majority of running back snaps on 2-3 drives against Miami this week and performed well with his sustained opportunity. He gained five or more yards on four of his carries showing the most burst and lateral explosion of any New England running back. After back-to-back red zone carries on one possession down inside the 10-yard-line, Vereen gave way to Ridley for a short touchdown. While Vereen has managed to stay healthy for the second half of 2012 to flash his individual skills, his usage on a week-to-week basis is murky at best. With Danny Woodhead an unrestricted free agent this offseason, which could be Vereen’s best chance for an expanded and fantasy-relevant role in the offense in 2013.

Week 19 - While Vereen didn’t lead the offense in total yards, receiving yards or even rushing yards, he did lead the team in the most important category, TDs. After his own 25-yard completion on a short pass took the offense deep into Texan territory, Vereen finished the drive off with a one-yard TD run, running untouched off the left edge. Vereen’s longest run came on the following drive, running the stretch to perfection for a 22-yard gain. After picking up eight more the following play, he had perhaps his best run two plays later. On a toss left, Vereen had an unblocked Connor Barwin between he and the 1st down marker. Vereen used a slight hesitation to get Barwin flat-footed before cutting back inside and picking up six yards and the first down. Despite averaging 5.9 yards a carry, Vereen’s biggest impact was in the passing game. Lining up wide on the aforementioned 25-yard catch, it was entirely Vereen who turned the short completion into the long gain. Later Vereen slipped out of the backfield and was left completely uncovered, resulting in an all too easy eight-yard TD catch. Vereen wasn’t done there, however, as he saved his best for last. Again lining up out wide, this time the Texans sent LB Barrett Ruud to cover the RB. Not the prettiest of double moves, but still effective, Vereen faked the quick slant before going vertical. Ruud stood no chance, especially with the throw from Brady. Like a WR, Vereen perfectly tracked the ball and cleanly pulled the pass in for a 33-yard TD catch. Injuries are never a good thing, but if there was anything positive to pull from Danny Woodhead going down early, it was Vereen’s increased touches. Without the injury, the Vereen may have never got the opportunity to compile 124 yards of total offense and three TDs.

Week 20 - Vereen started the third series in the backfield and sliced through the middle of the defense for a seven yard gain with his first carry. He was stopped for no gain over right guard with his next however. Vereen stayed in the game as the Patriots drove down the field, but couldn't escape outside with his next carry as he was tackled for one yard. After Ridley was knocked out in the fourth quarter, Vereen came in and caught a quick curl pass that he turned upfield for a first down.Vereen danced between the tackles for a first down and six yard gain soon after. Two plays later, Vereen caught a pass in the flat and went unopposed up the field for 15 yards before stepping out of bounds. Vereen followed that up with a drop in the flat as he turned his head upfield before watching the ball into his chest.