TNF fantasy preview: Making sense of the New England backfield

Without question, the big fantasy question attached to this week's Thursday game is which back(s) will get the carries for New England, in the absence of Stevan Ridley? Shane Vereen is clearly positioned for an uptick in touches, from his current average of 10 per game to perhaps 14-16. Vereen has averaged 4.5 YPC for his career (5.1 this season), so we know he can deliver useful fantasy lines on a slightly larger workload. Remaining healthy has been an issue for Vereen, and the Pats have been a RBBC team in the past, so we can expect to see veteran Brandon Bolden in a supporting role as well, with James White on the standby list. For now, Vereen is the only New England back you should consider starting. The Jets aren't the easiest matchup for any running back, although they've been abused by Branden Oliver and Ronnie Hillman in recent weeks.

Tom Brady is back on the approved list for fantasy purposes following back-to-back solid outings (653 pass yards, 6 TDs). New York's defense has yielded the most passing TDs in the league through six weeks (15), and the team ranks dead-last in picks (1). Rob Gronkowski is a must-play, as is PPR hero Julian Edelman — that dude caught 18 balls on 25 targets in two games against the Jets last season. New England's defense, even without the injured Jerod Mayo, is a recommended play against Geno & Co.

As for Gang Green ... well, the advice there is easy. Start Eric Decker coming off a 10-target game, and start Chris Ivory. And that's pretty much it. If you're desperate for help at tight end, you can consider rookie Jace Amaro. He's a big target (6-foot-5) coming off a 12-target, 68-yard week. Amaro isn't exactly sure-handed, but the Jets are probably going to have to put the ball in the air a bit this week. It's tough to argue with starting a guy who's as heavily-targeted as Jace.

Need a flex play? Well, consider Patriots receiver Brandon LaFell. He's averaging 6.5 targets per game over his past four, and he's found the end-zone three times. Against New York's not-so-intimidating secondary, he's a good bet to break the plane again.