Stevan Ridley

Ridley got the start in place of Le'Veon Bell (inactive, coach's decision), and looked like the stud running back that began his career in New England, where he amassed 2,817 yards and 22 touchdowns on 649 carries (4.3 average) before getting injured in his fourth season. He's played in just 11 games over the past three seasons, and is an unrestricted free agent. At 28, the Steelers will likely look to third round draft pick James Conner, who suffered his own injury that resulted in the signing of Ridley, to serve as Bell's backup next season.

The Steelers haven't offered formal word that Bell, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and other key starters will be rested or limited in Week 17, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed earlier Sunday what had been suspected for the past couple of days. Despite being signed less than two weeks ago, Ridley, who logged nine carries for 28 yards in the Week 16 win over the Texans, appears to have leapfrogged Fitzgerald Toussaint on the depth chart. Toussaint should have a pass-catching and change-of-pace role in Sunday's game plan, but it's expected that Ridley will be the team's go-to option in short-yardage and early-down situations. That could make him an attractive lineup choice in DFS settings, given his favorable price and expected workload.

Ridley hasn't had a meaningful statistical season since he tore his ACL in 2014, and the Vikings will be the fourth organization he's been associated with since leaving New England. He was released by Denver on Sept. 1, as the team instead decided to keep Jamaal Charles, Devontae Booker and De'Angelo Henderson. Ridley will help provide the team with some much-needed depth, as Dalvin Cook is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Jerick McKinnon emerged from Sunday's matchup with an ankle injury. If McKinnon cannot go Monday night against the Bears for any reason, Ridley would end up the primary backup to starter Latavius Murray. Ridley likely won't be a major fantasy factor until he gets some more practice time under his belt, but he should be on the radar in case Murray's ankle soreness decides to resurface.