Every year, the NFL Draft injects a ton of new talent into the league. Naturally, this shakes up fantasy football values. With the New England Patriots making TreVeyon Henderson the fourth running back off the board, what does this mean for the fantasy values of running back Rhamondre Stevenson and the rest of the incumbent offense?
Fantasy Impact Of Patriots Drafting TreVeyon Henderson
Ahead of the 2024 season, Rhamondre Stevenson signed a four-year, $36 million extension. In the very next draft, the Patriots spent an early second-round pick on a very talented running back.
TreVeyon Henderson’s max speed: 22 MPH 🏎️
Only three NFL ball carriers reached 22+ MPH last season, per @NextGenStats (Turpin, Thomas Jr., Gibbs)
Excited to see him in New England 💥
🎥: @RAanalytics
pic.twitter.com/HQOasXZV4V https://t.co/wCtnN4bNOa
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) April 25, 2025
Henderson was widely expected to be the RB3. Instead, he went behind teammate Quinshon Judkins, albeit just barely.
I don’t consider this a negative for Henderson. He’s still an explosive runner and a big-play threat. I loathe comparisons to unicorn players like Jahmyr Gibbs, but if there is a Gibbs-like back in this class, it’s Henderson.
With 4.43 speed and elite burst, Henderson is an ideal satellite back. Of course, for fantasy, we prefer he do more than just operate on passing downs. Unfortunately, I do not envision Henderson completely vanquishing Stevenson. The veteran is still the favorite to start and play more on early downs, as well as handle goal-line carries. That will cap Henderson’s upside.
Had Henderson landed in Dallas or Denver, he would’ve had a strong argument for the rookie RB2. A young, improving offense is far from the worst spot. Plus, the Patriots can always trade Stevenson or move on after this season. But for redraft purposes, this is definitely less than ideal.
Rhamondre Stevenson
As for Stevenson, this is not good. A two-man backfield with these two guys is great for the Patriots and Drake Maye — not so much for fantasy managers. We want our running backs to see as much volume as possible.
Henderson should be ranked higher in fantasy, but both players will be worth drafting. I expect each to see enough work to have standalone value. Plus, they both have contingent upside should the other get hurt.
We’ve already seen Stevenson in a three-down role. Therefore, we can be reasonably confident he would have that sort of upside if Henderson went down. As for the reverse, it’s unclear if the Patriots would be willing to give a 202-pound back 15 carries a game.
It’s an interesting situation because Henderson projects to be the better fantasy asset when both are healthy, but Stevenson without Henderson projects better than Henderson without Stevenson.
Regardless, I like to invest in talented young players, just like Henderson. Consider Henderson a high-end RB3, for now, with the caveat that it is very early and what happens in training camp could change my mind. Stevenson is more of a low RB3 who will be heavily dependent on touchdowns to produce.
Overall, this is great for the Patriots offense, though, as Henderson is a dynamic weapon who has great passing game upside. Drake Maye could be the QB2 steal of 2025 fantasy drafts.