Rhamondre Stevenson Start or Sit Advice for Week 1
Stevenson ($8,400 for Showdown) begins the season facing a Seahawks’ defense he exploded for 17.1 FPTS in the Super Bowl in February. More importantly, Stevenson is likely to see a large workload with TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) out.
Stevenson was expected to be the lead back for the Patriots again this season, but Henderson was still going to see a significant role and the latter being sidelined creates a notable void. Last season, Henderson averaged 11.9 touches per game on a 38.6% snap rate.
With Henderson missing, the only other healthy back for New England outside of Stevenson is Corey Kiner, who barely played in his rookie season a year ago, touching the ball just 14 times.
Sure, Kiner will see a few touches, but Stevenson is trusted by this coaching staff and he should see as much volume as he can handle. Stevenson was excellent this past season, averaging 13.1 FPTS per game between the regular season and playoffs, and he was this productive even with Henderson active for every game.
Stevenson averaged 12.9 touches per game on a 64.8% snap rate, and those numbers should be significantly higher with Henderson out of the equation. Stevenson should see roughly 20 touches, giving him massive upside. Between the regular season and playoffs, the back produced an elite 1.0 FPTS per touch last season.
The Seahawks are excellent against the run, giving up the fewest yards per rush last season (3.8), but Seattle surrendered the most catches to running backs (97) and Stevenson should be very active as a pass catcher in this matchup, particularly with the Patriots being a three-point underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Stevenson was one of the most effective receiving backs in the NFL last season, hauling in 84.6% of his targets while seeing a target on 15% of his routes. Among the backs who saw 20+ targets, Stevenson ranked second in YPR (10.7) and 12th in YPPR (1.37).
Stevenson caught all five of his targets for 40 yards and a touchdown when he faced the Seahawks in the Super Bowl and him finding the paydirt again tonight is likely according to the oddsmakers. At +105 on DraftKings Sportsbook, Stevenson presents the best odds to a score a touchdown for this Super Bowl rematch. His rushing + receiving yards line is also 87.5, which is very encouraging.
We saw Stevenson go off for over 20 FPTS three times last season and him surpassing that threshold again Wednesday is a legitimate possibility. Stevenson has the potential to finish as one of the top scoring backs for Week 1 and he is a must-start for all formats.
