Who Should I Start? Nick Chubb or Rhamondre Stevenson

Friday, December 20, 12:19 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (foot), who suffered a season-ending broken foot in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, is headed for free agency in March, and The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that it's hard to say what Chubb's future in Cleveland might be. Jerome Ford will be the team's clear lead runner over the final three games of the season, with Pierre Strong Jr. and D'Onta Foreman also being evaluated in bigger roles. Strong is a candidate to return in 2025, but Foreman is not. Chubb is a popular player in the locker room and among fans, but the Browns must determine how much they think he has left after ending each of the last two seasons on Injured Reserve due to injuries. The 28-year-old four-time Pro Bowler may never be the same after suffering a gruesome knee injury early in 2023. In just eight games in 2024, Chubb didn't look the same and averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per tote.

Friday, December 20, 10:56 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson could have an opportunity to demonstrate his pass-catching upside during Sunday's Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills. New England faces Buffalo two times over the next three weeks, and this Sunday's contest could set the tone for Stevenson to win back some of the opportunities that he has ceded to Antonio Gibson lately. While Buffalo has been solid against the run, they're porous against pass-catching running backs. In fact, the Bills have allowed the most catches, most receiving yards, and second-most receiving touchdowns to opposing running backs in 2024. That bodes well for Stevenson, who has multiple catches in nine of his 13 games this season. He has caught an impressive 32 of 39 passes thrown his way this year, which is a higher total than Gibson, his backfield-mate. Touchdown opportunities have been limited for Stevenson this year, which means his fantasy managers need him to catch passes to produce points. There's no better matchup than the Bills for this to happen. As a result, he ranks as a high-end RB3 in most leagues as the fantasy playoffs carry on.