Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or TreVeyon Henderson

Wednesday, March 18, 5:24 PM

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson had an impressive rookie season, sparking optimism that he might be the best running back from the 2025 draft class. It took a little while for him to get going, but once he stepped into the lead-back role with Rhamondre Stevenson injured, Henderson broke out. In eight games from Week 9 through 18 (excluding his injury-shortened outing in Week 16), he averaged 15.3 carries, 85 rushing yards, 2.3 catches, 14.2 receiving yards, 1.1 touchdowns, and 18.9 fantasy points in full-PPR leagues. He scored double-digit fantasy points in seven of those eight games. During that same window, he ranked as the overall RB9 in total points and the overall RB6 in average points per game. Throughout the back half of the season, the Patriots went extremely run-heavy, supporting top fantasy performances from both Henderson and Stevenson more often than not. Assuming that trend continues in 2026 and Henderson takes a natural second-year leap, the Ohio State product should remain a weekly must-start in fantasy football. It's probably too late to buy low on Henderson, but it's worth sending out soft offers in case you can find a manager who's wrongfully concerned about the Patriots' offense or Stevenson's presence in this backfield.