Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Trey Benson

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.

Tuesday, December 31, 5:34 PM

The Arizona Cardinals placed rookie running back Trey Benson (ankle) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, so he will not be available to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. The third-rounder from Florida State will end up missing the final three games of his rookie season. As James Conner's primary backup in his first year in the NFL, Benson finished with 63 carries for 291 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and a touchdown while catching six passes for 59 yards. Conner was pulled from last week's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night due to a knee injury and could also be rested in a meaningless game this weekend, which would put DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter in line to split the backfield workload for Arizona. Benson is a solid hold in keeper leagues, although he could be in line for a backup role again in 2025 if Conner stays healthy.