Shane Vereen led the Patriots running backs in snaps Sunday by playing on 48-of-81.

Vereen managed just five touches in the loss at Miami, but his usage remained the same. It was just a case of the defense selling out to stop the dynamic passing back. With Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola stepping up big against the Dolphins, Vereen figures to have far more soft looks when the Patriots play at Baltimore in Week 16. He remains a borderline RB1 with monstrous PPR upside.

Shane Vereen (wrist) is listed as probable for Week 15.

Vereen practiced in full this week and will be all systems go for Sunday's matchup with the Dolphins. With Rob Gronkowski (knee, injured reserve) sidelined, he's going to continue to play a major role in New England's passing game. Rotoworld ranks Vereen as the No. 9 overall running back for Week 15.

Shane Vereen rushed three times for nine yards and one touchdown and caught 12 passes for 153 yards in the Patriots' Week 14 win over the Browns.

Vereen was a monster in the passing game, drawing a whopping 17 targets. After Rob Gronkowski suffered what's believed to be a torn ACL midway through the third quarter, Tom Brady leaned on Vereen heavily. On a late third-quarter touchdown drive, Vereen accounted for all 72 yards of offense on two catches and a six-yard scoring plunge. His big grab was a 50-yard connection down the left sideline in Craig Robertson's coverage. Vereen is going to draw a ton of targets with Gronkowski likely out for the rest of the season. The RB2 could push for RB1 numbers over the final three weeks. Start Vereen every week.

Shane Vereen (wrist) is practicing in full for Week 14.

The only Patriots' running back who can be trusted for Week 14, Vereen is a mid-range RB2 in standard leagues, and borderline RB1 in PPR formats.

Shane Vereen led the Patriots backfield by playing on 41-of-70 snaps in Sunday's win at Houston.

With Stevan Ridley a healthy scratch, LeGarrette Blount played 20 snaps and Brandon Bolden saw nine. Vereen saw extra reps in traditional packages, not just the three-wide "passing back" reps he typically gets. The result was 15 touches for 75 yards and one touchdown -- as well as two near scores. Regardless of Ridley's status, Vereen is the lead back here and a PPR monster heading into a home game against the Browns in Week 14.

Shane Vereen rushed 10 times for 38 yards in New England's Week 13 win over the Texans, adding five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Shane Vereen had 10 carries for 31 yards in Sunday night's Week 12 win over the Broncos.

With Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount both benched for fumbling in the first half, Vereen played heavy snaps in just his second game back from wrist surgery. He continues to be a major factor in the passing game, finishing with eight catches for 60 yards on 11 targets. Vereen failed to convert on his lone goal-line carry in the third quarter, but split early-down work with Brandon Bolden and was used in all third down situations. He'll be a high-end RB3/FLEX option in Week 13 against the Texans.

Tom Brady called Shane Vereen's role a "hugely important part of our offense."

Shane Vereen (wrist) is practicing in full this week.

Vereen made his first appearance since Week 1 this past Monday night and led the Patriots with 72 yards on nine touches. He's a fine flex option.

Shane Vereen rushed for seven yards on one carry and caught eight passes for 65 yards in New England's Week 11, 24-20 loss to Carolina on Monday night.

Making his first appearance since Week 1 due to wrist surgery, Vereen wasn't "eased back in" in the slightest bit. He played close to 50 percent of the snaps and led the team in catches and yards. Vereen saw a whopping 11 targets in the passing game and did a ton of damage on third downs. He was whipping SLB Thomas Davis all night long. Vereen did have a noticeable drop on a final-drive second-and-10 where he roasted Luke Kuechly on a wheel route. Vereen is going to be a fixture on offense over the final six games and will be a legit weekly flex option, seeing 8-12 touches per game. Fire him up next week against Denver.

Shane Vereen (wrist) and Aqib Talib (hip) are both active for Monday night's Week 11 game against the Panthers.

Vereen was activated from short-term I.R. Monday, so this comes as no surprise. Talib was listed as questionable and has been sidelined since injuring his hip in Week 6. He'll likely shadow Steve Smith. Brandon Bolden wasn't on the Week 11 injury report, so he's a healthy scratch with Vereen back in the fold. Look for Vereen to get anywhere from 8-14 touches. There have been conflicting reports on Vereen's potential usage in his return.

Patriots activated RB Shane Vereen (wrist surgery) from injured reserve/designated to return.

Vereen will be active for Monday night's game against the Panthers, but is expected to be "eased in," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. If you're deciding between Vereen and one of the Panthers' three running backs as your FLEX player, Vereen will be a high-risk, moderate-reward option. He's best left benched until Week 12.

SI's Greg Bedard believes the extent of any restrictions on Shane Vereen's (wrist) Monday night playing time will "depend on the score."

Bedard "lol'd" at Adam Schefter's report that Vereen will be "eased in" against the Panthers because that's been expected to happen so many times before with Patriots players and didn't, a la Rob Gronkowski a month ago. Vereen is still a rather boom-or-bust flex option, but it's entirely possible he'll wind up playing a lot of snaps if New England needs him to Monday night.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the Patriots "expect" to activate Shane Vereen (wrist) from PUP before Monday night's game, "barring a late change."

In other words, Vereen should be padded up for his first game in two-plus months. Although Vereen is difficult to "trust" as a role player with an uncertain role against a very tough Panthers defense, Monday night's game could give us a read on how the Patriots plan to utilize him moving forward. He'll offer high-upside flex value down the stretch, especially in PPR leagues.

ESPN Boston's Field Yates suspects we won't know Shane Vereen's (wrist) Week 11 availability until Monday.

Wearer of many hats, Yates is a fantasy football guru in addition to covering the Patriots for ESPN and appearing on NFL Insiders. We noticed on Twitter that Yates recommended fantasy owners "wait a week or so to see how (Vereen) is eased in upon return." The Pats still haven't activated Vereen from I.R./designated for return, though they almost certainly will, and we expect Vereen to play against the Panthers' stout defense. Having not appeared in a football game in over two months, Vereen will be a dicey flex option.

Shane Vereen (wrist, short-term IR) will face an increased level of competition at practice this week as coaches determine his role for Monday night's game against the Panthers.

Vereen, who has been practicing since Oct. 30, is eligible to return this week. His performance in practice will determine both whether he'll be active and exactly how he'll be used. We expect the dynamic passing back to suit up, but he could be eased back into the mix. Ideally, owners will hold Vereen on benches, hope he gets the 10-14 touches we expect and then unleash him against the Broncos in Week 12. Fill-in passing back Brandon Bolden can be dropped across the board.

Shane Vereen (wrist, short-term IR) is eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster this week.

Vereen returned to practice two weeks ago and appears on track to make his return in Monday night's game against the Panthers. "As soon as he's ready and able to help us and we are able to play him, certainly he will have a role in the game," OC Josh McDaniels said. Vereen will quickly take passing back duties away from Brandon Bolden, sprinkle in some base carries and do some "joker" things. Stashers can comfortably expect 10-14 touches per game down the stretch.

Shane Vereen (wrist, short-term IR) returned to practice Wednesday.

Vereen is eligible to return to game action following the Patriots' Week 10 bye. His ability to practice today is a surefire sign that he's on track to do just that. Vereen will immediately take over the passing back role currently held by Brandon Bolden, who has played on 51.3 percent of the snaps over the last four weeks. Vereen will also get some reps as a base running back and split out wide a few times per game. We can safely expect at least 10-14 touches weekly for the dynamic athlete. Vereen needs to be owned across the board.

According to coach Bill Belichick, Shane Vereen (wrist, short-term IR) isn't "too far off" from returning to practice.

The Patriots are calling Vereen "day to day" at this point. The comments suggest that he's on track to return to action when first eligible, which is Week 11. Vereen should be owned in the majority of competitive leagues right now as he'll quickly overtake Brandon Bolden for passing back duties and expand his role from there. In Week 1, the electric and versatile "joker" racked up 14 carries for 101 yards and seven catches for 58 yards. He was going to have a humongous year if not for the broken wrist.

Shane Vereen (wrist, short-term IR) is no longer sporting a hard cast.