Should I Start Rhamondre Stevenson?

Saturday, November 14, 5:38 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) is listed as questionable for Week 10 against the Detroit Lions in Germany, but he should be deployed as a low-end RB2 option in PPR leagues if he does end up playing with little to no limitations. When Stevenson injured his knee last week, the initial fear was that he'd miss several games, which is why it's surprising to see that the Patriots are leaving the door open for him to play on Sunday. With that being said, he did manage to log two limited practices in a row, and the Patriots are desperately in need of some stability at the running back position with TreVeyon Henderson (illness) sidelined. Corey Kiner and Lan Larison would operate as the Pats' top two running backs if Stevenson can't suit up. The big concern with Stevenson is that he could be active, but still have a reduced workload, or potentially only be available in emergency situations. Fantasy managers would feel much more comfortable deploying him as an RB2 if we get some sort of confirmation that he's near 100% or won't have any limitations. At the same time, we also have some concerns with this matchup, as the Lions have surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2026. They've been a little tougher in the run game than in the short receiving game, so we do think Stevenson could still post RB2 value in PPR leagues because of his pass-catching prowess. However, the matchup factor is absolutely something to consider. If Stevenson is near 100%, he should be a fine RB2 option for fantasy managers based on volume alone; he averaged 15.8 touches per game from Weeks 4-8. However, if he doesn't handle a normal workload, he'd slip to the RB3/flex tier or lower because of the iffy matchup, while Kiner would have more fantasy appeal.