Fantasy Football Player Notes

The Patriots drafted TreVeyon Henderson in the second round of the NFL Draft to challenge Rhamondre Stevenson from the jump. Stevenson isn't going anywhere, but Henderson will play a prominent role in 2025 as, at worst, the 1B in this backfield. As we move through the season, Henderson will eat into Stevenson's workload, if not quickly supplant him as the backfield leader. Henderson has the talent to do so. In two of his last four seasons in college, Henderson ranked top ten in yards after contact per attempt (seventh, eighth) and top 20 in breakaway percentage (10th, 18th). He will operate behind an improved offensive line that added Garrett Bradbury, Will Campbell, and Morgan Moses in the offseason. Henderson should be the team's passing down back immediately, which is great news for his floor and ceiling. Across his last two collegiate seasons, Henderson has ranked 21st & 22nd in receiving grade (per PFF). Josh McDaniels will feature him through the air. In McDaniels' last five full seasons of directing NFL offenses, he has ranked inside the top ten in four of those years, with 20-36.2% of the passing attack flowing through the backfield. Henderson could be New England's version of Jahmyr Gibbs.

It was another up-and-down (more down) season for Stevenson. He dealt with a foot injury and benchings related to fumble issues. Overall, he finished as the RB27 in fantasy points per game with snooze-worthy per-touch numbers. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 38th in explosive run rate, 30th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 32nd in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). All of these dings led to the team adding to the backfield with their selection of TreVeyon Henderson. Stevenson could still retain a goal-line and early down role for the Pats, but his ceiling is capped, and Henderson could be leading this backfield in snaps and touches quickly in 2025. Stevenson is an RB3/flex.