Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Isaac Guerendo

Monday, January 26, 10:58 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson took on a workhorse role in his team's AFC Championship Game win over the Denver Broncos, recording 71 rushing yards on 25 carries. While Stevenson averaged a highly inefficient 2.8 yards per touch for the game, he was still a crucial piece in helping New England game-manage its way to a victory in snowy conditions in Denver. The Patriots finished the game with just 206 yards of total offense, so Stevenson accounted for over a third of his team's output. Stevenson also appears to have completely taken over the lead role in New England's backfield from rookie back TreVeyon Henderson. After playing over 60% of the Patriots' offensive snaps in each of their first two postseason games, Stevenson played 94% of the team's snaps against Denver. Both New England backs now face a difficult matchup in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, who finished the regular season ranked first among NFL defenses in yards per carry allowed (3.7). Still, Stevenson appears better positioned than Henderson to take on a high-volume role and should have his chances for production.

Monday, December 22, 7:11 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan James is active for Monday's Week 16 contest against the Indianapolis Colts and is on track to make his NFL debut. The rookie had previously been a healthy scratch, but he's getting a chance to play on primetime television, perhaps in a mix of special teams and offensive depth roles. He's taking the spot of fellow rookie Isaac Guerendo, who is a healthy scratch for the first time in his young career. Guerendo has contributed on special teams this year, but he doesn't have an offensive snap yet. Both running backs remain buried on the depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr.