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Is TreVeyon Henderson or Rhamondre Stevenson the Patriots' starting running back? Should I draft TreVeyon Henderson or Rhamondre Stevenson for fantasy football drafts?
The success of the running back position in fantasy in 2025 is having a direct impact on fantasy football ADP heading into 2026. More and more running backs are being pushed up, forcing fantasy managers to get comfortable making stances on ambiguous or uncertain backfields.
One backfield that is undecided heading into 2026 is the New England Patriots. On one hand, TreVeyon Henderson had explosive weeks during the regular season, especially when starting in place of an injured Rhamondre Stevenson. However, New England turned the offense over to Stevenson during their playoff run, relegating Henderson to an inconsistent change-of-pace role.
Should fantasy managers be prioritizing Henderson or Stevenson heading into their 2026 fantasy drafts? Read below to find out.
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TreVeyon Henderson 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
2025 second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson showed off his explosiveness and playmaking when given opportunities, finishing his rookie season with 1,132 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns. Most of his damage was done during a four-game stretch from Weeks 9 to 12 where Rhamondre Stevenson was sidelined.
During those games, Henderson racked up 65 carries for 330 yards and four touchdowns while adding 13 receptions for 81 yards and a receiving touchdown on a 77.5% snap share. Henderson was still productive over the final five games with Stevenson healthy (62 carries for 353 yards and four touchdowns), but saw his targets crater (eight in five games) and his snap share dip to 40.8%.
TREVEYON HENDERSON 65-YARD TD.
BUFvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/XricJljnG9
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
Things got even worse during the Patriots' run to the Super Bowl. Henderson averaged a 31.4% snap share in New England’s four playoff games, totaling just 30 carries for 76 yards and five receptions for 33 yards. When the games mattered, the Patriots turned to their veteran back, who was more reliable in pass protection and more consistent in getting positive yards.
The hope for Henderson entering 2026 is that he can improve enough in his down-to-down consistency to take a larger piece of the Patriots' opportunities in the backfield. So far, beat writers have noted that Henderson still seems to struggle with getting consistent yards and in pass protection, which limits his upside.
If Henderson can command a larger part of the offense, he can beat his RB24 ADP (61.5) on Yahoo. First, he will need to show that he can be trusted in protection and consistency.
Rhamondre Stevenson 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
Rhamondre Stevenson did enough to be a best for fantasy managers who rostered TreVeyon Henderson in 2025. Henderson played in 14 games, racking up 130 carries for 603 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 32 receptions (on 37 targets) for 345 yards and two touchdowns. As the season went on, Stevenson emerged as the team’s primary third-down running back, a role that was good for fantasy and unexpected to start the season.
Rhamondre Stevenson all the way for his 3rd TD of the day!
MIAvsNE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/TVDFICTHCZ
— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2026
The way Stevenson closed the season in the NFL playoffs was even more notable. The veteran running back took total command of New England’s backfield, averaging a 70.1% snap share in four games with 14.5 rushing attempts and 3.8 targets per game.
In a perfect world, the Patriots will split their backfield between Stevenson and Henderson as evenly as they can so they can maximize the talents of both running backs. Stevenson’s ADP (80.8, RB29) is considerably behind Henderson’s, which feels like a misprice based on how his season ended and camp reports.
Who Should You Draft in 2026 Fantasy Football?
Beat reporters have stated that the Patriots would like to have a 50/50 split in their backfield between TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson heading into the 2026 season. However, their current prices skew toward TreVeyon Henderson taking on more work for New England.
Deciding which player to take comes down to a fantasy manager’s willingness to take risks. Henderson offers the greater ceiling at a higher price, but his lack of consistency and poor pass protection could get him removed from games. Stevenson isn’t nearly as flashy, but he will get early down work and is trusted on third downs.
For me, getting Stevenson nearly 20 picks later in drafts is the better deal because of the floor he can provide my lineup in 2026.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
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Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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