New England Patriots rookie sensation TreVeyon Henderson’s NFL career started with a bang as he returned the opening kickoff of his first ever game 100 yards to the house. Ever since then, his ADP has been on a meteoric rise from sixth rounder to the 3/4 turn. However, Tuesday’s first regular season unofficial depth chart showed him as RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Did fantasy football managers let the hype go too far?
New England Patriots Depth Chart Analysis
Coaches often like to “make rookies earn it.” We saw this in the preseason when Stevenson was injured and Gibson started ahead of Henderson.
This didn’t stop the Henderson hype, as his fantasy value still was on a rocketship. However, it is clear the rookie isn’t about to immediately become the main back.
When the Patriots released their first unofficial regular season depth chart, though, Henderson was still behind Gibson. Being behind Stevenson was expected.
Patriots unofficial RB depth chart for Week 1:
RB1 – Rhamondre Stevenson
RB2 – Antonio Gibson
RB3 – TreVeyon Henderson pic.twitter.com/0fi8WcaE1u— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 2, 2025
With fantasy drafts wrapping up over the next day or so, managers could experience a bit of trepidation over Henderson. Don’t.
For starters, these depth charts are unofficial. They mean something, but not all that much. It certainly doesn’t mean Gibson will be playing ahead of Henderson when the Patriots take the field against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The Patriots have been raving about their talented rookie running back all Summer. Mike Vrabel’s goal is to win football games. He is not about to sideline his best offensive weapon because of Gibson. If the Patriots loved Gibson that much, they wouldn’t have spent a second round pick on a running back.
Josh McDaniels is using Treveyon Henderson same way he did James White.
Raiders should expect McDaniels to attack their LBs with Henderson on routes like this.
Could be a post/wheel(peel) or this concept below. pic.twitter.com/8EonEnqz93
— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) September 2, 2025
Stevenson will probably start the entire season, but that doesn’t mean anything. Sooner rather than later, Henderson will be leading this backfield in touches on a weekly basis.
TreVeyon Henderson Fantasy Football Outlook
Did you know that since the start of 2023, only 22 players have more carries than Rhamondre Stevenson, yet 52 have more carries of 15 yards or more? The fumbling problems for Stevenson in 2024 were highlighted as the reason for a future role reduction, but they were more of a final straw than the root cause.
As a rookie, Stevenson posted an impressive 38.3% PFSN Elusive Rating, a rate that has declined every year since, reaching 27.1% in 2024. The Patriots have every reason to look for other options as they try to build around rookie quarterback Drake Maye. New England is contractually tied to Stevenson for another season after this one before they can move on in 2027.
Meanwhile, TreVeyon Henderson turned heads all summer, and his kickoff return for a touchdown in the preseason only fanned those flames. The stage appears set for him to become the lead back in the offense sooner rather than later, but the question is how quickly he will assume control. My guess is it will happen before the end of September, but probably not in this first game. Henderson’s modest touch projection places him in the flex tier of my running back rankings for this favorable matchup.
While that’s not ideal, he represents a risk worth taking over receivers whose best days are likely behind them, like the Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, and Stefon Diggs of the world.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
