For the second year in a row, one of the biggest backfield debates in fantasy football is between TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson for the Patriots. For most of this summer, Henderson has been going earlier than Stevenson in drafts, as many expect a bigger role for Henderson in his second season.
However, with Henderson now dealing with an ankle injury and reports out of training camp that Stevenson remains New England’s top dog, these two players’ ADP for Best Ball drafts on DraftKings has flip-flopped but remains very close. Currently, Stevenson carries an ADP of 64.5 while Henderson is at 66.9.
Henderson’s ankle injury, however, doesn’t appear to be serious, as Boston Globe’s Christopher Price reported Henderson is “walking and moving fine.”
While this ankle injury seems unserious, there’s no denying it has made some fantasy football drafters hesitate. Still, we all know Henderson, who was a second-round pick out of Ohio State in 2025, has a huge ceiling if he ever saw a bigger role. But Stevenson appears to still have the coaching staff’s trust.
So, with Henderson and Stevenson seeing nearly identical ADPs, who is the better pick?
Fantasy Football Value: Henderson vs. Stevenson
Between the regular season and playoffs last year, these backs played 18 games together. Stevenson outproduced Henderson in these tilts, scoring 13.1 FPTS per game, compared to 8.6 FPTS per game for Henderson.
Stevenson outpacing Henderson came directly from his increased usage. In these games together, Stevenson out-carried Henderson 188-163 and out-targeted him, 52-36. Snaps-wise, Stevenson almost doubled Henderson with 64.8% and 36.3% snap rates, respectively.
Henderson was more effective as a rusher, but it wasn’t by much. He averaged 4.7 YPC, compared to 4.4 for Stevenson. As pass catchers, Henderson saw a target share on 17% of his routes while Stevenson was at 15%, but Stevenson averaged an elite 1.37 YPPR compared to Henderson at 0.92. Among the backs who saw 30+ targets, Stevenson ranked 19th in YPPR.
Henderson clearly is a talented back who has a ton of upside, and this was on full display in the three games that Stevenson sat out. Henderson generated 25.3 FPTS per game as the Patriots’ starter. Still, New England’s coaching staff quickly went back to Stevenson after he returned, and the veteran was essentially a workhorse back in the Patriots’ run to the Super Bowl.
In New England’s four playoff games, Stevenson saw 70 touches on 185 snaps, and Henderson saw 35 touches on 83 snaps. Henderson seeing more work in his sophomore season seems likely, but the possibility of the 23-year-old taking over this backfield and seeing the majority of the touches feels low.
Henderson would be an elite fantasy asset if Stevenson ever got hurt, but the same thing can be said about Stevenson, as he would likely flourish if Henderson ever went down. Henderson is five years younger and has more name value. However, the bottom line is this is still Stevenson’s backfield and likely will be whenever he is healthy this season, making him the better target in fantasy drafts.
