New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson was one of the most exciting players of the preseason, but veteran Rhamondre Stevenson could prevent him from seeing fantasy football glory during his first year in the league. Henderson had a few highlights during August’s slate of games, but will it be enough for him to overtake Stevenson as the top back in New England’s offense?
Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson Fantasy Football Outlook
Preseason Usage
Over-analyzing preseason results can be dangerous, as teams don’t game-plan and rarely put their most talented players on the field. However, preseason usage is important, as it gives us an insight into how teams view their depth charts. Needless to say, you can’t earn fantasy points without being on the field, and Henderson appears to be somewhat buried on the depth chart.
Mike Vrabel’s squad played its starters early in the first two weeks of the preseason. In Week 1, Rhamondre Stevenson saw most of the action with the first-team offense, although TreVeyon Henderson came on the field in clear passing downs. Stevenson missed Week 2 with a minor injury, but Henderson still split snaps with journeyman Antonio Gibson. The first-team offense played two drives in Week 2: Gibson saw most of the action in the first, and Henderson took over as the primary back in the second.
This usage suggests, for the short term at least, that the Patriots want TreVeyon Henderson to play the James White role in this offense. If you don’t believe the usage, just ask Henderson himself. Earlier in the offseason, the rookie said he was studying old James White tape to prepare for the season, which obviously suggests New England plans on primarily using him as a pass-catching back who can occasionally take some carries.
Historical Comparisons
Assuming TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Antonio Gibson all make the final roster, New England will have a veteran early-down back and two change-of-pace backs. Looking at the team’s history, this most closely resembles the 2016 New England Patriots, when LeGarrette Blount handled all early-down work while James White caught passes as Dion Lewis saw limited time in both roles. While all of the players from that team are long retired, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is still calling the shots.
This isn’t a perfect 1:1 comparison, as White wasn’t a rookie and Lewis missed the first half of the season recovering from a torn ACL. However, at the time, White hadn’t established himself as a legitimate weapon, so it’s the best we’re going to find. Blount finished that season with a staggering 299 carries. Lewis and White, meanwhile, combined for 103. As far as receiving work goes, Lewis caught 17 passes for 94 yards while White finished the year with 60 receptions for 551 yards and five touchdowns.
Nobody should project Stevenson to receive nearly 300 carries, as the 2016 Patriots were a historically good offense that could sustain long drives, while the 2025 Patriots project as a slightly below-average offense. However, McDaniels’ usage in 2016 suggests Stevenson will receive all much early-down work as he can handle, while Henderson will likely be the primary pass-catcher. Gibson, meanwhile, will take the scraps and be a jack of all trades, master of none.
This is one long way of saying that, when everyone’s healthy, Rhamondre Stevenson will probably be a low-end RB2 while TreVeyon Henderson will be a flex play with decent upside in PPR formats. Given their current average draft position, you’re probably best avoiding Henderson in drafts, as he’s currently the RB20 in drafts, while Stevenson is the RB40.
Main Photo: Paul Rutherford – Imagn Images
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