Who Should I Start? J.K. Dobbins or Rhamondre Stevenson

Wednesday, January 14, 4:56 PM

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (foot), who has been on Injured Reserve since Nov. 6 due to foot surgery, was seen doing work on a side field during practice on Wednesday, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. The 27-year-old is trying to make himself available if the Broncos advance deep into the postseason, but it remains to be seen if he'd be an option for the team if they advanced past the Buffalo Bills during the Divisional Round this weekend to play in the AFC Championship. For now, Denver will stick with a backfield led by rookie RJ Harvey. Dobbins was on pace for a career year in 2025 before his Lisfranc injury, as he had 772 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 153 carries in 10 games. He cannot resume practicing with the rest of the team until the Broncos open his 21-day practice window.

Sunday, January 18, 10:00 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has been playing some of the best football of his career lately, and he'll look to carry that momentum into Sunday's Divisional Round contest against the Houston Texans. Stevenson has scored double-digit fantasy points (full-PPR) in each of his last six games, re-establishing himself as the primary running back in New England. His last four games have been particularly dominant, as he has tallied 461 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in that short window. His efficiency has been the most impressive part of his success, as Stevenson posted those absurd numbers while handling 13 or fewer touches in each of the four games. He should handle a similar workload on Sunday afternoon, but he'll admittedly face a tougher test in the form of the Houston Texans' elite defense. Houston's defense has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards and eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2025. We still believe that Stevenson's pure talent could allow him to overcome this difficult matchup, but managers should have lower expectations than they did in the last few weeks. As it stands, Stevenson ranks as the overall RB8 in RotoBaller's fantasy rankings for the Divisional Round, putting him one spot ahead of teammate TreVeyon Henderson.