Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Tahj Brooks

Friday, October 31, 1:27 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) will not play on Sunday against the visiting Atlanta Falcons in Week 9, according to head coach Mike Vrabel. This was the likely result after Stevenson failed to practice all week after picking up a toe injury in the Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson had another fumble last week, but he also broke out with 75 rushing yards against a good Cleveland defense, and he'll be firmly in play as an RB2 for fantasy managers this weekend against Atlanta with Stevenson officially out. It's unclear if Stevenson will be on track to return for a Week 10 date against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road, but he will definitely need to get back on the practice field first. Henderson will serve as New England's clear-cut RB1 for the first time this weekend, with Terrell Jennings expected to back him up.

Saturday, September 13, 3:20 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks didn't log an offensive snap in the Week 1 win over the Browns. Most assumed the rookie would have at least a small role in the offense. However, that didn't happen in the AFC North clash with Cleveland, with Samaje Perine getting 13 snaps and Chase Brown leading the way with 39. Without question, Brown was expected to get most of the work out of the backfield for the Bengals this season. That likely won't change unless he goes down with an injury. Brooks should get some snaps moving forward, but he has a long way to go before earning a spot in redraft lineups, including for the Week 2 meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars. On the other hand, he's at least worth stashing on dynasty rosters.