Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Rhamondre Stevenson

Wednesday, September 24, 6:15 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Wednesday that they placed running back Najee Harris (Achilles) on Injured Reserve, according to Fernando Ramirez of the Sporting Tribune. Harris' season is over after he tore his Achilles in the Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It's a disappointing end to his first year with the Bolts after signing with them in free agency in the offseason. The 27-year-old will end his streak of four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. In his three games this year, Harris carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and no touchdowns, adding three receptions for 25 yards through the air. The Chargers will be forced to lean more on rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton as their lead back going forward, making him a must-start each week. Hassan Haskins will be elevated to the RB2 role, with Kimani Vidal the next man up at No. 2 in the backfield.

Monday, November 17, 11:56 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) is expected to be available for Wednesday's practice, according to head coach Mike Vrabel. The fifth-year pro has been out since Week 9 as he battles a hamstring injury. While Stevenson returned to practice in a limited capacity to begin his prep ahead of their win against the Jets last Thursday night, he was tagged with a DNP to close out the week. It appears the extra few days of rest were enough to get him back to playing shape at least, although he'll return to a less clear situation in the backfield with TreVeyon Henderson's recent surge of production. For now, the most likely scenario would be that the split becomes more even moving forward, but it was trending that way even before he picked up the toe issue. This backfield is worth keeping tabs on when New England squares off with the hosting Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12.