The already-limited New England Patriots offense took a brief hit Thursday night.
Star running back Rhamondre Stevenson exited during the second quarter of New England’s road game against the New York Jets. The fourth-year pro missed the rest of the quarter but was on the field for the first play of the second half.
Stevenson appeared to injure his finger while stiff-arming a tackle on a 13-yard run. He was flagged for a facemask penalty on the play.
Stevenson lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, and it’s fair to wonder whether the finger injury was a factor.
Rhamondre Stevenson Injury Update?
Here’s a video of Stevenson suffering his apparent finger injury:
Looks like Rhamondre hurt his pinky while committing this vicious penalty pic.twitter.com/x27YEwgFSO
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) September 20, 2024
Running back Antonio Gibson got the rest of the carries on the drive, which ended in a Patriots field goal.
Follow Pro Football Network for additional updates on Stevenson in the event he misses more time.
Fantasy Implications of Stevenon’s Injury
Stevenson has not fared well against the Jets in his career. Entering Thursday, in three career games against New York, he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry and had yet to score a touchdown in 67 combined touches.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Stevenson is a top-10 running back in fantasy, averaging 19.3 fantasy points per game (ninth-best among running backs). He’s had at least 17 fantasy points in each of his first two games, the first time he’s had this many fantasy points in consecutive weeks since four weeks in the 2022 season (Weeks 5 through 8).
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Antonio Gibson, Stevenson’s backup, led the Patriots in rushing last week with 96 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Traditionally one of the most versatile running backs in the league, Gibson entered Thursday with only one reception for 7 yards this season. But given New England’s weapons right now, there’s reason to expect Gibson to get more playing time moving forward.
He must if he’s going to factor into fantasy conversations since he was on the field for a total of only 30 offensive snaps in the first two games.
– Michael Freer, PFN Fantasy Analyst