Can Fantasy Football Owners Trust Rhamondre Stevenson Week 1 Against The Seahawks If TreVeyon Henderson Is Out?

Should you be chasing the volume with Rhamondre Stevenson if TreVeyon Henderson is sidelined in Week 1, or avoiding the matchup against the Seattle Seahawks?

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After missing another practice on Sunday due to a lingering ankle injury, things are looking grim for New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson in Week 1. He has now missed two full weeks of practice, and the Patriots kick off on Wednesday night in the season opener.

Patriots said RB TreVeyon Henderson officially didn’t practice today due to an ankle injury. He hasn’t practiced in two weeks. New England opens the season Wednesday night in Seattle. https://t.co/fA7OL2oGOB

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2026

His absence should open the door for his backfield mate Rhamondre Stevenson to handle a near bell-cow workload in Week 1. However, does that mean you should plug him into your lineup in a tough matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks this week?

Can You Trust Rhamondre Stevenson In Week 1?

We do expect Stevenson to handle a near full bell-cow role if Henderson is sidelined for this game, and it appears he will be. The only other running back on the 53-man roster is Corey Kiner, and they will likely elevate another back from the practice squad.

That's not real competition for Stevenson, so you won't see Stevenson coming off the field very often. However, this is a brutal matchup to start your fantasy season. The Seahawks had one of the best defenses in the league last season and are expected to do so again in 2026.

The easiest thing to look at is their last game. These two teams just faced off in the Super Bowl, so we got a preview of how this could go in the last game that we watched. That's not to say things won't change, but it's a decent reference point.

In the Super Bowl, Stevenson carried the ball seven times for 23 yards, averaging 3.3 yards per carry, while Henderson rushed six times for 19 yards. The yards can obviously change drastically, but 13 carries is a reasonable expectation for Stevenson in this game.

While those are not great numbers, there is a glimmer of hope, because Stevenson also caught all five of his targets for 40 yards and a touchdown. With Henderson missing this game, Stevenson would also get the vast majority of the passing-down work as well, which might not be the case otherwise, even though he out-targeted Henderson five to three in the Super Bowl.

The absence of Henderson will negate the fear of a negative game script, which is why we trust Stevenson this week. If it's a close game or the Pats are winning, Stevenson will be used like a battering ram, and if they are down big, they'll be dumping the ball off to him in the passing attack. We will go with the guaranteed volume here rather than avoid the tough matchup.

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