TreVeyon Henderson VS Rhamondre Stevenson: is it Stevenson Season in Fantasy Football with Henderson Injured?

The New England Patriots have a split backfield of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson that led the Patriots to the Super Bowl, but created headaches for Fantasy managers deciding who to pick from the duo.

Henderson is dealing with an ankle injury in the lead up to the season opener and with his status unclear, the decision between the two comes down to personal preference.

Mike Vrabel on TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) Week 1 status, via @RealAlexBarth:

"We'll see how he feels today. We'll see if he can do anything. He's working extremely hard to come back."
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 7, 2026

TreVeyon Henderson

Henderson (RB 24, 55 ADP) led the Patriots with 911 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns last season. Henderson’s rookie campaign displayed his explosiveness as he averaged 5.1 yards per carry, good for seventh in the NFL.

The former Ohio State Buckeye had to rely on his explosivness to be Fantasy relevant as Henderson would be regularly out snapped by Stevenson throughout the season. The snap differential would regularly be 65-35 in Stevenson’s favor. Henderson out snapped Stevenson in only three games throughout the regular season. Despite being out snapped by Stevenson, Henderson would see the bulk of the goal-line work as he out snapped Stevenson in the red zone.

Henderson truly shined when he started as RB 1 with Stevenson out. In three games as a starter, Henderson averaged 24.3 FPPG in PPR leagues and ranked as RB 3 over the stretch.

TreVeyon Henderson has rare explosiveness. Players like him don’t come around often pic.twitter.com/GmgMZiLWSq
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) December 15, 2025

The 2026 snap share will reportedly be pretty even, but this may change given Henderson’s availability at the moment.

An ankle injury suffered on August 24 has sidelined Henderson from practice recently. Henderson was seen in street clothes at Sunday’s practice, just four days before the Patriots’ season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Henderson’s injury status is a concern heading into the season as his availability is up in the air for the season’s opener.

Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson (RB 28, 77 ADP) was the leader of the split backfield, taking the majority of the snaps throughout the season and may need to do so again early on in the season.

Stevenson has been a consistent Fantasy provider during his time in New England. In his last four seasons, Stevenson finished with at least 11.7 PPR points. Stevenson’s best Fantasy season came in his sophomore campaign where 14.7 FPPG in PPR leagues led to a RB 14 finish.

Stevenson’s high-floor Fantasy production should continue early on in the season as Henderson’s availability is up in the air.

For zero-running-back enthusiasts, Stevenson offers a potential workhorse role early on in the season at a later ADP if Henderson’s ankle injury keeps him out an extended amount of time. Stevenson can help bridge zero-running-back Fantasy managers to a waiver-wire starter later in the season.

The New England Patriots are going to have to lean on Rhamondre Stevenson early on in the 2026-27 NFL season. #NEPats

TreVeyon Henderson has not practiced since August 24th and the Patriots just brought in Corey Kiner as RB3 a week ago. Stevenson 🔔🐄 pic.twitter.com/TJEs8SLMjZ
— Patriots Lead (@Patriots_Lead) September 6, 2026

The Verdict

The decision of selecting either Patriots running back comes down to a Fantasy manager’s preference.

With the news regarding Henderson’s ankle injury, it’s a little risky to take the running back heading into his sophomore campaign. Henderson offers upper-echelon explosiveness, but it’s difficult to tell how the snap share will be with Henderson’s injury. For Fantasy managers who like to take a risk and want more upside from their RB 2, Henderson is the pick.

Stevenson has the higher floor, but a limited ceiling of the pair. Given Henderson’s absence in the lead up to the season opener, Stevenson should see a heavy workload until Henderson is back to 100 percent. Stevenson is the perfect running back at this ADP for Fantasy owners who want a consistent churn of points.

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