Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Tahj Brooks

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.

Monday, November 24, 1:36 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has ruled out rookie running back Tahj Brooks (concussion) for this Thursday's Thanksgiving Day game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, according to Jay Morrison of SI.com. Brooks suffered a concussion in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, and on a short week, the 23-year-old won't be able to clear the league's concussion protocol. Veteran Samaje Perine (ankle) has missed the last two games due to injury and might not be available this week, either, so the Bengals' backfield could be extremely thin behind Chase Brown this week versus Baltimore. If Perine ends up missing a third straight game, expect Gary Brightwell to operate as Cincy's RB2 behind Brown on Turkey Day. Brooks has only nine rushing attempts in 11 games this year for 28 rushing yards.