Shane Vereen

Vereen's second season as a Giant did not go well, as a torn triceps limited him to just five games and prevented him from making much of an impact. When healthy he's one of the best passing-down backs in the league, combining soft hands with sharp routes, but his lack of explosiveness or elusiveness prevents him from gaining many yards after contact. He's also had trouble staying healthy, missing 33 games over six NFL seasons. Paul Perkins took over the starting role towards the end of his rookie campaign and showed some ability as a receiver in college, and if his workload expands, it will likely come on passing downs at Vereen's expense. If the veteran can stay on the field and remain Eli Manning's primary checkdown option, he could still have value in PPR formats, but the chances of both those things happening seem low.

Although Vereen's consistently been a solid per-rush man during his five-year NFL career (4.2), teams generally try to limit his workload between the tackles. Vereen has never made it to even 100 rushing attempts in any season, and last year he averaged a scant four per game. His 59 catches and 73-percent catch rate sound handy and useful enough, but it was often a fool's errand trying to figure out which weeks the Giants would use Vereen and which weeks they'd keep him in storage. The momentum system doesn't seem to work. On three occasions last year, he came through with an eight-catch afternoon; those games were followed by one, four and two catches, respectively. As much as we try to anticipate game flow in advance, some things are impossible to predict. Keep gobbling up Vereen as a depth play.

Coming off the healthiest and most productive season of his career, Vereen left New England and signed a three-year deal with the Giants. But while the move was financially sound it likely won't help him repeat his 2014 numbers. Vereen's hands, route-running and blocking skills make him an excellent third-down back, but his lack of size, speed or burst results in him getting taken down far too easily, and his 1.83 yards after contact placed him near the bottom of running backs last year. Additionally, Rashad Jennings, the Giants' incumbent starter, is also an asset in the passing game, which leaves Vereen fighting for touches even within a limited third-down role. Fortunately for him, Jennings has yet to play 16 games in a season, so at some point Vereen's likely to get his chance in a timeshare with second-year power back Andre Williams, similar to the tandem Vereen formed with Stevan Ridley in New England. But until Jennings breaks down, snaps could be hard to come by.

A broken wrist in Week 1 largely derailed Vereen's 2013 season, but he remained productive in a third-down role down the stretch, ending up with 47 receptions out of the backfield despite only playing six full games. The speedy Vereen has averaged 10.5 yards per catch over the last two years, and as long as his wrist – which was still bothering him over the offseason – heals up in time for the season to start, he should again be a superbly impactful PPR asset. At 5-10, 205, Vereen lacks the frame to be an every-down back, but the Patriots seem set to give Stevan Ridley the early-down work while Vereen plays third downs and gets plenty of attention from Tom Brady, both out of the backfield and lined up in the slot. And if Rob Gronkowski continues to struggle with his own injury issues, Vereen could again see a good number of red-zone looks. He saw 11 red-zone targets and caught three touchdown passes last season; health permitting, those numbers should rise this year.

Foot and hamstring Injuries as well as the Patriots' running-back depth have limited Vereen’s productivity (he missed nearly all of his rookie year and the first three games of 2012), but a three-touchdown performance in last year's playoffs offered a glimmer of upside. With Danny Woodhead now in San Diego, Vereen is the favorite to see the bulk of the third-down work, as he's a skilled pass catcher and has the speed (4.5 40) to rack up yards after the catch. While Stevan Ridley is still slated to be team's lead back, the more versatile and explosive Vereen was drafted ahead of him and has yet to stay healthy long enough to challenge for the starting job. That could change this year if Vereen outperforms Ridley when he gets his opportunities.

After being taken in the second round of the draft, Vereen was given just 15 carries as a rookie last season, thanks partially to injuries and also to a muddled backfield in New England. BenJarvus Green-Ellis left via free agency, so there will be more opportunities in 2012, with fellow sophomore Stevan Ridley the main competition. Danny Woodhead also remains around to take away touches, while Joseph Addai was added through free agency, and the Patriots can be unpredictable in their backfield usage, often changing drastically week-to-week based on opponents and game plans. Vereen will almost certainly be a part of a timeshare, but he’s enticing playing in such a high-powered offense.

The Patriots used the No. 56 pick to draft Vereen, which was something of a surprise with more highly regarded running backs like Daniel Thomas and Mikel Leshoure still on the board. Of course, it would be foolish to question coach Bill Belichick, and Vereen was considered the most NFL ready RB in the draft when it comes to pass protection. New England also used a third-round pick on another running back and still has BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead, so this looks like a full-blown committee. Even as a rookie, Vereen might already be the team’s most complete back, and after watching pedestrian runners line up for him the last few years, it’s telling Belichick would spend a second-round pick on such a fungible position. Vereen is an intriguing name not to be overlooked.