Week 7 has seen both Rhamondre Stevenson and Jahmyr Gibbs on the injury report, but with both now cleared to play, which player should fantasy football managers look to start?
Let’s look at the situation surrounding both players and what it means as you consider whether one or both should be in your fantasy lineup this week.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
It has been a tough season for Stevenson. The New England Patriots RB has struggled to post consistent numbers across the year, bringing his fantasy value into question. Stevenson is averaging just 39 rushing yards and 18.5 receiving yards per game in 2023.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Stevenson has, for the most part, remained the starter, but the presence of Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield is hurting his ceiling somewhat. Additionally, the turgid Patriots offense is not helping. The only game that Stevenson carried the ball more than 15 times this season was the Week 3 victory against the New York Jets.
The volume has still been there in large part for Stevenson. He has 78 rushing attempts at an average of 13 per game, a career-high. Stevenson is also averaging four targets per game, for 17 total opportunities per game.
The efficiency has been the biggest issue, with Stevenson averaging just 3.0 yards per attempt and 4.6 yards per target. Those are both career-lows and have resulted in a miserable fantasy return for the Patriots’ RB so far.
It is hard to know how this week will go. The Buffalo Bills have looked sluggish on offense in the last two weeks. You would expect them to be too much for the Patriots, but you would have said that last week at home against the New York Giants. That leaves Stevenson in a weird limbo.
The problem is that even a 15-20-touch game does not guarantee fantasy value. That makes Stevenson a frustrating option right now. It is hard to bench any RB getting 15-20 touches a game, but when those touches turn into 50-60 yards and just 0.33 touchdowns a game, there is a lot of potential risk.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
The situation with Gibbs is a lot different to that of Stevenson. Opportunities and injuries have been the issue, rather than a lack of production. Gibbs has been dealing with a hamstring issue for the last week but appears to be fully healthy right now.
That is somewhat good timing for the Lions, who will be without starting RB David Montgomery this week. During his Friday press conference, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said he thought Gibbs was “going to be a go.” He was later removed from the Lions’ injury report but also expressed uncertainty about the situation.
“Yeah, I think certainly he’s going to need to take the load of it. We’re just going to have to see where he’s at. I’d like to say we want to be careful with him. but the reality of it is, we need him. So, we’ll go as far as he can take us here, trying to be as smart as we can, but he’s got to go. And he’s ready, he’s ready.”
The reason is the Lions are down Montgomery and have Craig Reynolds questionable with his injury issues. Additionally, Campbell discussed that the situation might not be ideal for Gibbs playing to his strengths.
“There’s a few things we think he does well that certainly will carry, but ultimately, we’re going to keep what we do well and what our O-line does well, our tight ends, and – because we believe he can.”
Gibbs had already flashed his potential when Montgomery was out earlier in the season. In Week 4, Gibbs carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards and added two receiving yards on his sole reception. We have seen other flashes of his potential, both as a runner and a receiver.
There is every chance Gibbs could be in line for 15-20 touches in Week 7. However, there should still be caution over a fast-twitch player returning from a hamstring injury.
Which of the RBs Should You Start?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Stevenson is the player to start, but only just. His projected 10.1 fantasy points in half-PPR include a projection of 42 rushing yards, 3.9 receptions, and 24 receiving yards. That may not seem like a big stat line, but it just outperforms the consensus projection for Gibbs (9.9 points).
In PPR formats, Stevenson’s 24 targets on the season is a promising sign, but Gibbs is no slouch in that department. I would lean towards Gibbs because I believe he is running behind a better offensive line, which should result in greater efficiency.
Both are top-24 running backs this week with six teams on a bye, so chances are you are starting both, either as RBs or in flex spots. However, if you are lucky enough to have to choose, Gibbs is the player with the higher ceiling, and Stevenson has the higher floor. That gives you fantasy managers the opportunity to decide based on what you feel your team most needs.
