It was an excellent Week 5 for the New England Patriots, as they smashed the Las Vegas Raiders 45-17. But they didn’t come out unscathed: young running back TreVeyon Henderson suffered an ankle injury that could keep him out of Week 6 against the New York Jets. That thrust Corey Kiner into a backup role, which he might take up again on Sunday. Does that make Kiner worth benching in fantasy football?
Week 5 Analysis
Because of the blowout in last weekend’s game, With the game well in hand and Henderson out, third-stringer Kiner got most of the snaps on the team’s last couple of drives. Kiner had his best week of the season. The second-year back took six carries for 52 yards and caught one for seven yards. It was a promising sign that the LSU product could give the Patriots a reliable change-of-pace out of the backfield.
Stevenson has steadily secured his place as the lead back, handling the majority of backfield touches this season. Henderson, who struggles with consistency and pass protection, has faded into a firm RB2 role. Kiner, firmly third on the depth chart, exists only as a backstop. But if Henderson is sidelined for a while, is Kiner worth the bench stash?
Patriots Injury Outlook
So far, the only thing we know is that TreVeyon Henderson’s status for Week 6 is unknown. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel provided his usual noncommittal injury comments.
Henderson’s uncertainty only adds to the mystery of Kiner’s value. If he won’t miss any time, Kiner is hardly worth the pickup. If he’s out for a few weeks, Kiner’s potential for season-long fantasy production goes up. The Patriots are unlikely to provide any update before the waiver wire period closes, meaning we’ll have to decide Kiner’s value without knowing what’s going to happen with Henderson.
Fantasy Verdict
Ultimately, there are too many unknowns here to place a big tag on Kiner. If you spend big on him and Henderson returns to the lineup next week, you’ll have a little-used RB3 on the depth chart. It’s possible that Henderson misses more time later on, as ankle injuries tend to breed more ankle injuries, but it’s not the most valuable use of a bench spot.
There remains the possibility that Henderson is out for a while. It’s also conceivable that Rhamondre Stevenson could miss time in the future, as he’s missed multiple games in three straight seasons. That gives a nice little boost to Kiner’s outlook.
If you have a bench spot that’s wasting away, Kiner is worth a speculative add. But he’s not worth blowing big FAAB money on; Kiner needs more luck to get into a fantasy starter position.
