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Is TreVeyon Henderson or Rhamondre Stevenson the RB1 for the Patriots? Should you draft Henderson or Stevenson in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Zach's expert draft analysis and advice.
The New England Patriots are trying to return to their winning ways after a few down years. As part of their push to add playmakers, they selected running back TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State near the top of the second round. Henderson will join incumbent running back Rhamondre Stevenson as the top two options in the backfield this season, and both backs have the potential to have fantasy value.
The New England offense hasn't been a good one for fantasy since its glory years came to a close a few years ago, but the arrival of rookie quarterback Drake Maye last year and head coach Mike Vrabel this past offseason appear to have things headed in the right direction. As part of Vrabel's staff, Josh McDaniels is back for his third stint as the team's offensive coordinator and will look to develop Maye and get the offense back to a productive spot.
But is Henderson or Stevenson the better fantasy football option as you get geared up for your draft? Which running back should fantasy managers be looking to target in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
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TreVeyon Henderson Fantasy Football Outlook
Henderson was the fourth running back to go off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft when the Patriots selected him with the sixth pick in the second round (No. 38 overall). Henderson immediately brings playmaking potential and plenty of upside in the passing game from the running back position. He excels in pass coverage and as a receiver out of the backfield.
At Ohio State in 2024, Henderson was a team captain and shared the backfield with Quinshon Judkins. He played in all 16 games for the eventual National Champions and rushed for 1,016 yards on 144 carries with 10 rushing touchdowns. He added 27 catches for 284 receiving yards and another touchdown as well.
Initially, Henderson is expected to at least play a critical role in passing situations, which was never Stevenson's specialty. Henderson got early hype this preseason for his strong work in the red zone as well as his production as a receiver out of the backfield.
TreVeyon Henderson in the red zone today:
• 5 receptions
• 3 receiving TDs
• 1 rushing TDThe Patriots got a star on their hands 🔥pic.twitter.com/q4Yblho6rq
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 4, 2025
His draft stock was already rising coming into the preseason, but it went through the roof when he did this on his first NFL touch against the Commanders:
TreVeyon Henderson wasted no time making an impact for the @Patriots in his first preseason action 💪 pic.twitter.com/BuoI1UcEgg
— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2025
He finished that preseason game with just one carry for 18 yards, while also hauling in three passes for 12 yards. He showcased his big-play ability, which has been a constant throughout training camp and practices as well.
Throughout his short time with the Patriots, Henderson has flashed true star potential, but there are still some questions around his workload. Henderson was drafted high enough that he needs to be an every-down contributor to be worth the draft capital spent on him, but he should at least be heavily involved as a receiver and playmaker in his rookie year in the NFL.
Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Football Outlook
In that same preseason game, Stevenson had 36 yards on seven carries. The fact that he got seven carries compared to just one for Henderson does raise the potential that he still gets most of the work for the Patriots, especially on early downs.
Last year, Stevenson finished with 207 carries for 801 yards and seven touchdowns, while adding 33 catches on 41 targets for 168 yards and another touchdown as a receiver. He didn't look nearly as dynamic as when he totaled 1,461 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in 2022, but he still brought good early-down production, mostly running between the tackles.
He also didn't get a lot of help from the passing game, which was inconsistent in Drake Maye's first season.
Stevenson looked fine in that first preseason game, averaging over 5.0 yards per carry.
People are just going to gloss over the fact Rhamondre Stevenson had 7 rushes for 36 yards (to 1 attempt for TreVeyon Henderson).
Highly-graded rusher (Top-12 in YAC/attempt each of his first 3 seasons), capable as a receiver (69 receptions in 2022).
This could be a good… pic.twitter.com/uxABqchOHz
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) August 9, 2025
Besides Henderson's big game, the other big concern for Stevenson is that he seems to have picked up an injury. While the Patriots haven't given out any injury information in classic team fashion, Stevenson hasn't practiced in the two sessions since the preseason opener.
The team also added undrafted free agent running back Shane Watts, who went to Fort Hays State, where he was one of the best running backs in the country in Division II. He totaled 1,303 rushing yards, 449 receiving yards, and 17 total touchdowns, and after his visit on Monday, he signed on Tuesday. The addition could be unrelated to whatever Stevenson is working through, or it could be that Stevenson is potentially going to miss time.
Stevenson's possible injury and potentially losing playing time to Henderson have his draft stock plummeting, but there could possibly be value if you can grab him late. Nothing is certain about his injury from what we know now, and if he's back for Week 1, he could be the primary early-down back. He has also shown a nose for the end zone and has a good ceiling if he gets goal-line work.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
The timeshare will go a long way to determine each running back's fantasy value. Both have the potential to be meaningful contributors if the other is limited or out, but they are also both limited a little bit since they will likely be in a timeshare of some kind.
Henderson is still going off the board as an RB2 in most standard drafts. If you can get him at around RB20, he'll be a steal with a high ceiling, but it does make sense to build in extra depth if you draft Henderson, since his floor from week to week could be pretty low if Stevenson stays as the early-down back.
Stevenson could end up being the better value pick since his ADP has dropped to around RB40 in some recent drafts. He won't have as much big-play ability as Henderson, but he has performed well in short-yardage and early down work.
The veteran is a solid fourth RB depth option in standard-sized leagues. If he's healthy and serves as the RB1 with Henderson bringing the "lightning" to his "thunder," he could end up as a late-round value play that can fill in as a second running back through bye weeks with touchdown-dependent upside.
The most likely scenario still seems to be that Stevenson will be the primary early-down back out of the gate and likely get more carries than Henderson, at least initially. Henderson has proven that he can bring plenty of upside and production as a receiver, so it makes sense that he'd get more work on third down and in passing situations.
He'll also likely be more involved in two-minute drills or "comeback" scenarios, so in some weeks, he could get more touches than others, depending on how the game script plays out. If that's the way the roles play out, Stevenson will be a steadier play with Henderson having some spike weeks when more work goes his direction or he hits for a huge play or two.
When drafting either Patriots running back, the key is getting them at the right value. Reaching for either back is high-risk since there will likely be a timeshare, but getting the right one at the right price could be a league-winning strategy.
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