Rhamondre Stevenson DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for one yard on two carries during Saturday's Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in blowout fashion. He also failed to catch his lone target. Stevenson had operated as the Patriots' primary running back for the entire season, but he was relegated to the backup role this Saturday after a costly fumble back in Week 16. It's unclear if the 26-year-old's benching is a one-time, temporary matter or if he'll remain the No. 2 option behind Antonio Gibson for next week's season finale against the Buffalo Bills, too. Until we get more clarity on the Patriots' backfield situation, Stevenson should be viewed as a mid-to-low RB4 option in fantasy football.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has lost some of his fantasy appeal heading into Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers. While Stevenson does rank as the overall RB24 in PPR leagues this year, he has been quite inconsistent and does not inspire much confidence for Week 17. This reduced faith stems from his performance last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in which he lost a crucial fumble and also dropped a toss from Drake Maye that turned into a defensive touchdown for the other team. Stevenson did manage to score 13.3 fantasy points against the Bills, but nearly half of those points came from his touchdown. The 26-year-old played just 44 percent of snaps in the contest, which was his second-lowest mark of the year. His career-low 3.9 yards per carry coupled with last Sunday's costly fumble may have put Stevenson in the doghouse, prompting the Patriots to rely on Antonio Gibson more. There's even a chance that Gibson, who played 59 percent of the snaps last Sunday, draws the start in Week 17. Stevenson will sneak into the RB2 or RB3 tier if he finds the end zone, but that's a relatively big ask. Otherwise, he'll rank as a mid-range RB4 and can be benched in most leagues with 14 or fewer teams. That's especially true against a Chargers defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2024.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed 12 times for 60 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He also caught a 13-yard pass and lost a fumble. Stevenson's showing in Buffalo was a tale of highs and lows. On a positive note, he found the end zone and mustered an impressive five yards per carry. Less ideal, however, was his costly fumble that could have been the difference-maker in a one-score game. He made another mistake that didn't show up on the stat sheet when he couldn't corral a backward pass from Drake Maye, leading to an easy Buffalo scoop-and-score touchdown. Stevenson certainly has some things to clean up before next Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but if he can get back in the end zone without fumbling the ball, he'll rank as a high-end RB3 option for fantasy football.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson could have an opportunity to demonstrate his pass-catching upside during Sunday's Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills. New England faces Buffalo two times over the next three weeks, and this Sunday's contest could set the tone for Stevenson to win back some of the opportunities that he has ceded to Antonio Gibson lately. While Buffalo has been solid against the run, they're porous against pass-catching running backs. In fact, the Bills have allowed the most catches, most receiving yards, and second-most receiving touchdowns to opposing running backs in 2024. That bodes well for Stevenson, who has multiple catches in nine of his 13 games this season. He has caught an impressive 32 of 39 passes thrown his way this year, which is a higher total than Gibson, his backfield-mate. Touchdown opportunities have been limited for Stevenson this year, which means his fantasy managers need him to catch passes to produce points. There's no better matchup than the Bills for this to happen. As a result, he ranks as a high-end RB3 in most leagues as the fantasy playoffs carry on.