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Is Rhamondre Stevenson or TreVeyon Henderson the RB1 for the Patriots? Should you draft Henderson or Stevenson in 2026 fantasy football drafts? Matt's expert draft analysis and advice.
Last season, New England deployed a two-headed monster in its backfield with veteran Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots' combination was fairly successful, as their 126.8 rushing yards per game ranked sixth in the NFL.
Behind Stevenson and Henderson on the depth chart are Jam Miller, whom the Patriots selected late in this past April’s draft, as well as Terrell Jennings, who had 23 carries for 73 rushing yards in minimal action last year. Let’s be honest, neither of those options poses any real threat to either Stevenson or Henderson.
But is Stevenson or Henderson the RB1 for the Patriots this upcoming season? Which running back should fantasy managers be looking to target in 2026 fantasy football drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
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Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Football Outlook
Outside of the 2024 season, in which Stevenson lost six fumbles, the veteran running back has been one of the more underrated contributors in fantasy at the running back position when afforded an opportunity.
In 70 career contests in which Stevenson has carried the ball on 836 occasions, the former fourth-round selection out of Oklahoma has churned out 3,669 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. This is also the same back who produced 876 scrimmage yards in six games during a shortened senior season, managing to find the end zone on seven occasions.
Drake Maye makes a play to Rhamondre to pick up 55 yards!
NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/LlK74q7x5G
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Despite playing in just 12 regular-season games last season, Stevenson was solid, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, 3.83 yards after contact per attempt (third), and +1.36 yards over expected (most). Stevenson also contributed to the passing game, converting 37 targets into 32 receptions and 325 receiving yards.
From a fantasy perspective, Stevenson finished as the RB25, while his 12.8 fantasy points per game were the 22nd most. Stevenson also graded out in the 81st percentile in explosiveness, 87th percentile in contact balance, and averaged 8.2 yards after the catch per reception. If we weren’t talking about Stevenson here, one could mistakenly assume we were talking about Henderson.
Stevenson’s 0.23 missed tackles forced per attempt were fourth in the NFL among running backs with 125 or more rushing attempts, trailing only Kenneth Walker III, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson.
When it came to explosive runs (runs that went for 15-plus yards), Stevenson accomplished the feat on 6.9% of his carries, which was the fifth-highest rate among backs who hit the 125-rushing-attempt threshold.
TreVeyon Henderson Fantasy Football Outlook
Last season, Stevenson played 52.9% of the offensive snaps while Henderson played just 43% of the offensive snaps. However, despite the difference in snap share, Henderson's 911 rushing yards were 308 more than Stevenson's. While Stevenson had more receiving yards (345 to 221), Henderson actually had three more receptions and five more targets.
Henderson averaged 12.1 fantasy points per game last year. However, in a five-game stretch between Weeks 10 and 15, Henderson put the fantasy world on notice. During that small sample size, Henderson recorded 490 rushing yards, the seventh most over that period. He averaged 6.45 yards per carry, the second-highest total, trailing only De'Von Achane.
TREVEYON HENDERSON 65-YARD TD.
BUFvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/XricJljnG9
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
For fantasy managers, Henderson was a must-start, as his 22.6 fantasy points per game were tied for third with Christian McCaffrey; only Gibbs (28.6) and Achane (23.5) were more productive.
Now, it’s worth noting that Stevenson did miss some time during this run, and Henderson faced some of the friendliest defenses in terms of fantasy points per game surrendered to the position, but he did produce.
One thing Henderson has going for him is history. Historically, we often see a running back breakout in their second season in the league. For example, both Gibbs and Robinson made a significant leap from Year 1 to Year 2.
For Gibbs, his fantasy production went from 16.1 fantasy points per game to 21.4 fantasy points per game. As for Robinson, he went from 14.5 in 2023 to 20.1 fantasy points per game in 2024.
New England has made some upgrades along the offensive line and added a true No. 1 receiver on the outside in A.J. Brown. We saw that Henderson was getting similar touches, and his yards per carry were on par with Robinson's; it’s just that Henderson needs touches. Only Achane (5.7), James Cook III (5.2), and Robinson (5.2) had more yards per carry than Henderson.
While those additions will help, it’s Henderson’s maturation in pass protection that will earn him more opportunities on the field. When players become accustomed to and understand their roles, that’s when the breakout happens.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
Let’s look into the crystal ball here. Stevenson's current ADP is 87.3, which has him going in the eighth round in most drafts as the RB31. In contrast, Henderson is a much sexier option and is seen as the RB22 with an ADP of 53.6, which has him going in the middle of the fifth round, nearly three rounds ahead of his counterpart.
One thing not many people are talking about is the change in offensive philosophy with Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator and his desire to lean into man/gap schemes. McDaniels-led offenses have finished 30th or worse in zone run rates in each of the last three seasons McDaniels has called plays.
In zone run schemes, Henderson holds an edge over Stevenson in yards per carry, 5.37 to 4.19. However, the script is flipped when comparing the two. Stevenson comes out ahead, averaging 4.94 yards per carry to Henderson's 4.61 yards per carry, and posting a 46.5% success rate, which ranks 43rd of 49 qualified running backs in 2025.
Rhamondre Stevenson gives the @Patriots the lead! 🔥
(Via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/f93EKx3ies
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 22, 2025
Now, when looking at games in which both backs suited up, Stevenson has a significant edge in nearly every metric. When it came to snap share, Stevenson's 61.8% was significantly higher than Henderson's 36%.
Stevenson also holds an edge in scrimmage yards per game, 71.7 to 50.6, while Henderson was also out-touched 12.9 to 10.7 per contest. Need more? How about Stevenson holding edges in yards after contact per attempt (2.64 to 1.87), yards per route run (1.46 to 1.04), and fantasy points per game (13.0 to 8.3).
In the playoffs, Henderson seemingly disappeared. New England's backfield split wasn’t so split after all, with Stevenson seeing an increase in his snap share, going from 61.8% to 70.3%.
As a result, Stevenson averaged 9.1 more fantasy points, 58.5 scrimmage yards per game, and 7.0 more rushing attempts per game than Henderson. From Week 16 through the playoffs, Stevenson averaged 5.51 yards per carry to Henderson's 3.19.
Final Verdict
Henderson may be the future in New England, but right now, this is still more of a 1A and 1B situation that will likely remain fluid throughout the season. If you are drafting for upside, the film would suggest that Henderson is the more explosive of the two, but even that is up for debate when looking at the numbers.
However, if you are looking for value, you can get the same baseline production from Stevenson several rounds later. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t matter what we think.
What matters is what McDaniels and Mike Vrabel believe. Stevenson has seemingly earned the coaching staff's trust, putting him in the driver's seat for more opportunities. More opportunities lead to more production.
Rhamondre makes the catch for a New England touchdown with 2:21 remaining
Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/UblcJHTf6x— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026
With all that being said, for 2026 at least, if you can only roster one Patriots running back, let it be Stevenson. He has the inside track ahead of training camp.
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