Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Isiah Pacheco

Friday, December 12, 10:39 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson was quiet in his first game back from injury, but in the following game, he returned to the lead-back role and delivered double-digit fantasy points (full-PPR). As long as he continues to handle at least 50% of the offensive snaps, Stevenson figures to remain a solid RB3/flex option for Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills. In his last outing, the 27-year-old played 58% of the snaps with 12 carries, 40 rushing yards, three receptions, and 40 receiving yards. Teammate TreVeyon Henderson played just 49% of the snaps, and while he was far more efficient on the ground, he mustered a lower total of 19 receiving yards. We expect Stevenson to carve out a sizable role in the passing game once again. Not only has he been a very solid pass-catcher this year, but his impressive pass-blocking skills will earn him additional snaps on passing downs. While Henderson has greater yardage and touchdown upside, Stevenson's ability to catch passes makes him a top-36 running back in half-PPR and full-PPR formats.

Friday, December 12, 4:18 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco handled nine carries for 30 yards in last week's 10-20 loss to the Houston Texans. In his second game back from injury, Pacheco's opportunities ticked up closer to Kareem Hunt, who handled 12 carries in the contest. Pacheco looked like the best back in the backfield before his knee injury, so the team may prefer to lean on him more as he gets healthier. Pacheco will have a chance to surpass Hunt this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers defense has been middle-of-the-pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season, meaning that it should not be a difficult matchup for Pacheco. That said, splitting carries with Hunt in a divisional matchup could be a difficult situation to succeed in. Pacheco is ranked RB48 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a difficult player to trust until he shows more upside.