Second and Third Year Player Development: Week Six

In this weekly column, I typically explore some young players who haven’t made much of a consistent impact to date. Some players may be available on your waiver wire, some may be available via a cheap or moderate trade. Acquiring or not acquiring one of these players could decide how well your dynasty or keeper team does for the next few years. This week I will be taking a look at New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle as well as the somewhat disappointing New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley. I will focus on their most recent matchup to draw the majority of my insight.

Rueben Randle, WR NYG

There was a lot of excitement in the Giants organization when Randle was selected at the backend of the second round in 2012. The young wide receiver did not flash right away in his rookie season, but got opportunities to play when Hakeem Nicks got injured. Many of his dynasty owners thought that the high-flying Giants would be soaring above the competition, which would mean more opportunities for Randle. Unfortunately the Giants have so far struggled to a 0-6 record and Randle has been fantasy relevant in only three out of those six games.

Against the Bears, the Giants tried to establish the running game early, which does not play to Randle’s strengths. Because of this, Randle rarely plays in many one or two receiver sets, which limits his snaps. If he intends to replace Nicks as the Giants number two option in the passing game, Randle will need to become a better run blocker or he will lose that spot to a younger receiver in next year’s draft.

Randle had Eli Manning’s attention early against the Bears as he does a good job finding room out in space. He catches the ball away from his body at the highest point to make sure defenders cannot get to it. On his next target, Randle’s lack of attention to detail was evident as the young wide receiver cut up field when Manning anticipated that Randle would come back to the ball. This misread by the young receiver led to a Tim Jennings interception return for a touchdown. After that play, Randle had to sit out a few series before returning to the game.

Randle came back with a vengeance as he caught a deep 37 yard pass, remaining aware of the sidelines and showing a mix of power and agility passing two defenders on his way into the end zone. It is this inconsistency which frustrates his coaches as well as fantasy owners.

Speaking of mixed efforts, Randle made a nice grab in traffic on the Bears 14 yard line, fell to the ground untouched, then slammed the ball on the ground, thinking he was down. Randle could have bounced back up and ran towards the end zone, but he once again just gave up. New York is tough place to play and Rueben will need to become mentally tough if he wants to become a better, more consistent player. I would not want him as anything more than a WR3 on my dynasty team right now until he shows he can do the little things well.

Stevan Ridley, RB NE

Ridley had a fantastic season in 2012, rushing for 1263 yards and 12 touchdowns. The running lanes were large and plentiful then. Now with the harsh reality of no Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Shane Vereen on the 2013 Patriots, defenses only need to worry about Ridley, an oft-injured Danny Amendola, and a slew of rookie wide receivers.

Ridley is a volume runner who is most productive when he receives 17 or more touches in a game. Last season, the young running back exceeded those touches in 12 out of 16 games. This season, however, he has touched the ball over 17 times only once, in his week seven match-up against the Saints.

Ridley seems to be fully healthy for the first time this season. I liked that he did not technically start the game (LeGarrette Blount did), but he certainly helped keep the Saints offense off the field with his productive rushing. Ridley did a good job in pass protection as he stepped up and attacked blitzers before they reached Tom Brady.

Ball security was evident as he protected the football with both hands whenever he reached the line of scrimmage. His legs were explosive on an early carry as he squeezed through a small hole and burst into the middle of the field. Once the Patriots were in the red zone, Ridley got low, drove his feet, and powered through for a short yard touchdown. He does a good job of reading his blocks and leaning forward, keeping his legs churning. I saw glimpses of the 2012 back with his powerful stiff-arm knocking would-be tackles out-of-the-way, and his jump cut to catch defenders who were over-pursuing.

His productivity was the result of not only the volume of of carries he received, but also the pace with which he was utilized. Ridley was used exclusively on some drives, and was rested on others. If he were to be used as the focal point of the New England offense, his production would suffer.

Brandon Bolden is a good change of pace back and fills in nicely while Vereen is still out, but he is not the same quality of player as Ridley or Vereen.

I would like to see the Patriots use Ridley a bit more as a receiver out of the backfield. On his only target of the day, he made the most out of a screen pass, weaving around defenders for a long gain.

If this type of play calling continues, there is no reason to believe that Ridley cannot be counted on for 80 yards and a solid chance of scoring through the rest of the season. He is still a potential buy low, but I’m convinced with more offensive help on the horizon (the return of Gronk and Vereen) that he will remain a good productive RB2, flex option for the next few years.

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