Rhamondre Stevenson's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo revealed on Friday that running back Rhamondre Stevenson won't make the start in Week 5 this Sunday against the division-rival Miami Dolphins. "Had a conversation with Rhamondre [Stevenson] and he won't be starting I'll be upfront and transparent. But he will play. And he understands he has to protect the football going forward," Mayo said. The head coach said earlier this week that he'd consider starting Antonio Gibson over Stevenson this week, and it looks like that will happen. Stevenson has had trouble hanging onto the football (four fumbles) while averaging 4.1 yards per carry on 65 rushing attempts. Gibson has been more efficient, averaging a career-best 5.3 yards per tote on just 29 carries. Stevenson should still be involved on Sunday, but now he'll be an even lower upside RB3/flex for fantasy managers.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns in his first two games of the 2024 campaign, but over the last two weeks, he has mustered just 66 yards on the ground. He has also fumbled one time in all four contests, which has led to head coach Jerod Mayo considering starting Antonio Gibson ahead of him. "That's definitely under consideration," Mayo said. "We can't preach ball security is job security and still have him out there the majority of the time." Gibson has averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 11.7 yards per reception through his first 36 touches this year, so it would not be surprising if he at least starts to eat into Stevenson's workload. However, New England extended Stevenson's contract this offseason, so it would be somewhat of a surprise if he's benched for a significant stretch. All that said, there's a chance the New England backfield morphs into more of a committee approach, which would hurt Stevenson's fantasy outlook and enhance Gibson's. Gibson should be picked up in leagues of 12 teams or more based on Mayo's comments.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 43 yards on 13 carries during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He also converted five targets into four catches for 19 yards through the air. On a more negative note, Stevenson did lose a fumble in the effort. He has now fumbled in all four games this season and has lost a fumble in each of the last two contests. Evidently, the running back's productivity and versatility on offense have been somewhat canceled out by his ball security issues. At the same time, fellow running back Antonio Gibson has tallied 219 scrimmage yards over the last three games, showing a combination of burst and ball security that we simply haven't seen from Stevenson in the last couple of weeks. Stevenson should still be the Patriots' No. 1 running back against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, but the gap between the two of them is likely shrinking as Gibson makes a case for more snaps and touches.