Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Kaleb Johnson

Friday, November 28, 10:19 AM

Across the first eight weeks of the 2025 season, New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson recorded 448 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on 99 touches as his team's RB1. However, Stevenson suffered a toe injury in Week 8 that forced him to miss New England's next three games across Weeks 9 through 11. During that stretch, Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson made his case to lead the team's backfield by averaging over 100 yards from scrimmage per game and scoring five touchdowns. In Stevenson's first game back in the lineup in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Henderson remained New England's feature back. Stevenson struggled to just 10 scrimmage yards on seven touches, while Henderson logged 81 yards from scrimmage on 21 touches. The Patriots may just be bringing Stevenson along slowly in his return from injury, but it's also quite possible that the 27-year-old will be limited to backup running back duties for the rest of 2025. Stevenson should be avoided by fantasy managers in Week 13, even in a favorable matchup against the New York Giants.

Friday, November 28, 11:42 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson won't be on the fantasy radar for this weekend's clash with the visiting Buffalo Bills. The former third-round pick has had a quiet rookie season, amassing 58 yards on 22 carries across seven appearances. At the beginning of the campaign, Johnson appeared to be on his way to playing a sizable snap share in a backfield ripe for the taking. That didn't come to fruition, though, as teammates Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have formed a formidable duo for the Steelers. Furthermore, opportunities in Pittsburgh are hard to come by, considering the team boasts the third-slowest pace of play (56.7 plays per game). As it stands, the University of Iowa alum is a talented athlete, but his path to playing time -- at least in 2025 -- is less clear than we'd like for fantasy. Either way, he's still a nice stash in dynasty leagues.