Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Dameon Pierce

Friday, November 14, 9:41 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) missed Week 11's Thursday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets, and proceeded to watch rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson score three touchdowns and combine for 93 all-purpose yards, which was a career night for the rookie running back. This was after Henderson rushed for 147 yards in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and scored twice in that game as well, while Stevenson was sidelined. Due to the nature of how Henderson has broken out, it raises the question of what Stevenson's role will be when he returns. At this time, it's too early to assume that Henderson will completely take over, given Patriots' head coach Mike Vrabel's feelings about Stevenson in the running game. Still, Henderson may be forcing Vrabel's hand in making him the starter, given the results he has put up over the past two weeks. Regardless, Henderson clearly has the upside over Stevenson and appears to be the running back you want in New England, but given the overall effectiveness of the Patriots' offense, whoever gets a majority of the touches will be fantasy relevant.

Saturday, October 18, 5:33 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce played a season-high 16 snaps and had seven carries for 21 yards in his team's last game before the bye week. However, it was his first game being active since Week 1, and all his work came in the fourth quarter of their blowout win over the Ravens. With Nick Chubb getting early-down work and Woody Marks as a promising prospect for passing downs, Pierce will likely have no role except in mop-up duty or an occasional one-off carry. He is the No. 69-ranked RB in RotoBaller's rankings for Week 7 and is not expected to be a fantasy factor going forward, barring injury to Chubb or Marks.