Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Jahmyr Gibbs

Friday, January 3, 11:03 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson remains an unreliable fantasy option heading into Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Stevenson was effectively benched last Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. While he did log the first touch of the game, he finished the contest with just two carries for one yard while Antonio Gibson rushed the ball 12 times. Gibson has led the Patriots' backfield in snaps for two consecutive weeks, which is the product of Stevenson's poor ball security this season, including a costly Week 16 fumble against the Bills. The Patriots have been somewhat quiet about their personnel decision for Sunday's regular-season finale, but we would expect Stevenson to remain in the doghouse. He's not a dependable fantasy option as the Patriots' season wraps up.

Monday, January 6, 12:51 AM

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 139 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 23 carries during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He also caught all five of his targets for 31 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. When all was said and done, Gibbs totaled 170 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns while leading the Lions to a division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The 22-year-old running back was terrific while playing alongside David Montgomery (knee) for most of the 2024 season, and he has jumped to the elite tier ever since his backfield-mate went down with a knee injury. Even if Montgomery returns for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, Gibbs will remain a high-end RB1 for fantasy purposes thanks to his nearly unparalleled rushing, receiving, and touchdown upside.