Patriots place RB Laurence Maroney on IR

October 20, 2008 @ 00:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Tim Heaney

Mike Reiss, of the Boston Globe, reports the New England Patriots have placed running back Laurence Maroney (shoulder) on Injured Reserve, according to a NFL source.

The move ends yet another disappointing season for Maroney, who has appeared in just three games all year. In total, he carried the ball 28 times for 93 yards (3.3 yards per carry), and he failed to catch a pass. In each of his three seasons in the league, Maroney has missed at least two games because of injuries. This year he found his carries cut back as head coach Bill Belichick utilized three other running backs: Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and LaMont Jordan (calf).

For the season, Morris leads the team with 169 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 53 carries (3.2 yards per carry). Jordan is second with 106 rushing yards on 24 carries (4.4 yards per carry) while Faulk has 102 yards on 19 carries (5.4 yards per carry).

Fullback Heath Evans is a non-factor with just four carries for nine yards all season.

If you own Maroney in any fantasy leagues, feel free to drop the injury-prone back. He will not play another down this year, and thus he has no value in any fantasy leagues.

As for the other backs on the New England roster, Morris and Faulk should receive a boost the rest of the way. If available, Morris would be the better pickup by virtue of his higher utilizations total and his goal line capabilities. However, both should be acquired if you need to build some running back depth.

Morris has been the most utilized back over the last two weeks (33 utilizations) while Faulk is next in line (23 utilizations). They are both valuable in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues, where their 12 and 13 receptions, respectively, make them solid additions (if available).

Jordan was unable to play in the team's Week 6 game because of a calf injury, and he is not someone to add just yet. With a full contingent of backs in Week 5, Jordan received only five utilizations. Evans should not be added in any leagues.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

Derrick Mason calls it a career (07/13)
Denver Broncos name QB Kyle Orton the starter (06/13)
WR Torry Holt signs with the Jacksonville Jaguars (04/20)
Giants release WR Plaxico Burress (04/03)
Denver Broncos trade QB Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears (04/02)
St. Louis Rams release WR Torry Holt (03/13)
T.J. Houshmandzadeh agrees to join the Seattle Seahawks (03/02)
RB Derrick Ward finds a new home (03/02)
Matt Cassel traded to the Kansas City Chiefs (02/28)
New York Jets release WR Laveranues Coles (02/25)