Who Should I Start? Javonte Williams or Rhamondre Stevenson

Monday, October 20, 12:17 AM

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams had his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season in the Week 7 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders on Sunday. In the 44-22 win, Williams was dominant on the ground, going for 116 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries (6.1 yards per carry). It was the 25-year-old's second game in 2025 with over 100 rushing yards, and it was a nice bounce-back effort after he had a season-low 29 ground yards on 13 carries in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers. He added just one catch on four targets for a gain of two yards. Williams showed his bruising style of play and was able to pick up chunk gains out of the backfield against a weak Commanders defense on Sunday. He is averaging over 5.0 yards per tote in his first year in Dallas and is well on his way to a breakout in his fifth NFL season in Dallas' high-scoring offense. Williams has become a must-start RB2 in fantasy, but it could be tough sledding against his old team, the Denver Broncos, in a Week 8 showdown.

Monday, October 20, 12:25 PM

Despite his ball-security issues, the New England Patriots have stuck with running back Rhamondre Stevenson as their clear lead back, as evidenced by his 18 carries in the 31-13 blowout win on Sunday over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. Meanwhile, rookie TreVeyon Henderson only had two carries for five yards. Stevenson averaged 4.9 yards per tote and had 88 rushing yards and a touchdown while also catching both of his targets for no gain. Stevenson's 75% snap share on Sunday was a season high, while Henderson's 14% snap share was a season low. Stevenson's 88 rushing yards were also a season high, while he scored on the ground for the third time this year and the third time in the last three weeks. He hasn't put the ball on the ground in the last two weeks, either, and appears to be separating himself from the struggling Henderson in terms of backfield workload. The Pats aren't just going to mothball Henderson, but the 27-year-old Stevenson has RB2 upside if he continues to be the clear RB1 in an improved Patriots offense.