Analyze Rhamondre Stevenson's matchup for week 11
Stevenson is expected to miss a third straight game with a toe injury; even if he suits up, diminished efficiency and TreVeyon Henderson’s emergence relegate him to bench-only status against a middling Jets run defense.
New England draws a Jets defense allowing 17.2 fantasy points per game to RBs and 4.06 yards per carry, a paper-positive matchup that would normally favor Stevenson’s power style. However, his lingering toe issue and the coaching staff’s growing trust in Henderson render the on-paper advantage moot, as the Patriots are likelier to ride the rookie if Stevenson is limited or inactive. Game scripts in this division rivalry tend to lean run-heavy, but that volume is projected to flow through Henderson and passing-down back Antonio Gibson rather than a compromised Stevenson.
He’s logged single-digit fantasy points in every healthy week this season, averaging a meager 2.1 yards per carry and ceding pass-game work to Henderson, culminating in back-to-back DNPs that point to another inactive tag in Week 11.
The toe injury is the final nail in the coffin for a back who was already hemorrhaging value. Stevenson’s 2.14 YPC ranks near the bottom of the league, his explosive-run rate sits 38th among 46 qualifiers, and he’s fallen behind Henderson in snap share and targets. Toe ailments sap a runner’s ability to plant and cut—critical for someone whose game relies on contact balance—so even a limited return would cap his ceiling in a committee. The Jets’ middle-of-the-road run defense looks exploitable, but New England has shown it will not force-feed an ineffective runner, especially with a healthier, more dynamic option on the roster. Henderson handled 51 snaps last week and broke a 69-yard score, cementing his role as the primary beneficiary if Stevenson sits. For fantasy managers, that makes Stevenson a priority bench and a viable drop in shallow leagues; his rest-of-season outlook is that of a touchdown-dependent RB4 who may need an injury ahead of him to reclaim flex relevance. Until he strings together full practices and demonstrates pre-2025 burst, there is no actionable upside to starting him.