The New England Patriots and fantasy football managers alike may need to turn elsewhere for the immediate future with running back Rhamondre Stevenson reportedly dealing with a knee injury.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday the veteran “is dealing with a knee tendon issue that is not expected to require surgery but could sideline him for a short period of time.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added more context:
It is another setback for the New England running back room, as TreVeyon Henderson missed the last two games with an illness.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted the depth chart is now Corey Kiner and Lan Larison ahead of Terrell Jennings, who is on the practice squad.
From a fantasy perspective, managers who are completely desperate for running back options because of injuries or bye weeks could look at Kiner and Larison as waiver-wire pickups. After all, the Patriots have to play someone at the position with Stevenson and Henderson sidelined, and they are the next ones up.
And if that is the case, Kiner is the obvious choice.
He has at least seen some limited action this season with 50 carries for 244 yards and one touchdown. He impressed against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday with 55 yards and a score on the ground and will surely see plenty of opportunities against the Detroit Lions.
As for Larison, he has just three carries on the season.
The bigger question is how long the Patriots will be without Stevenson in the middle of a playoff race. The loss to the Packers dropped them to 5-4 on the season, which is good enough for the seventh and final seed in the AFC playoff picture.
They are tied with the Cleveland Browns and one game ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, so just treading water without Stevenson may not be good enough to make the postseason.
Stevenson hasn’t even been that effective as a runner this season at just 3.9 yards per carry, which is tied for the lowest mark of his career. But he is a physical runner who can pick up the difficult yardage while remaining involved in the aerial attack with 26 catches for 258 yards and two scores.
His presence will take the pressure off quarterback Drake Maye when he returns, but the Patriots will have to rely on Kiner in the meantime.