Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Rhamondre Stevenson

Thursday, September 4, 6:06 PM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris (eye) was a full participant in practice again on Thursday and was removed from the final injury report for Week 1, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Harris will be active on Friday in Brazil against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs, but rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton will reportedely make the "start." The Chargers have said all along this week that they expected the 27-year-old Harris to make his debut with the team despite missing most of training camp and all of the preseason due to a superficial eye injury suffered in a fireworks mishap on the Fourth of July. Harris going to have a role against KC, but how much he's used alongside Hampton is anyone's guess. Harris deserves to be rostered in all fantasy leagues, especially as a handcuff to Hampton, but we'd recommend benching him on Friday.

Friday, September 5, 10:11 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson "will likely lead the team in carries" in the opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Chad Graff of The Athletic. In the same article, Graff predicts that it's "only a matter of time" before rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson takes over the team's RB1 role, so Stevenson's lead-rusher role could be short-lived. However, fantasy managers should be aware of the likely early-season split between the two backs. Henderson profiles as a low-end RB2/high-end flex option for Week 1, while Stevenson projects as a low-end RB3/flex.