New England Patriots running back Corey Kiner may have an opportunity to step into a much bigger role when the Patriots take on the Lions in Munich on Sunday. While he started the year as the team’s third back, he could end up the starter in Week 10 since TreVeyon Henderson (illness) is out and Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) still seems like a long shot to play. With more work potentially coming his way, should you start Kiner in your fantasy football lineup in Week 10? Is he a player you can trust in the Patriots’ productive offense, or is he best left on the bench?
Let’s take a look at the latest on Rhamondre Stevenson’s injury, and also examine how to approach Kiner and his workload against the Lions.
Corey Kiner Start or Sit Advice for Week 10
Earlier this week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Stevenson was likely to miss a few weeks. Imaging showed that he did not need surgery, but he was still expected to miss this week, especially with a Week 11 bye around the corner. Stevenson surprisingly returned to a limited practice on Thursday, though, even though reporters described it as an “extremely light” session. He was not practicing on Friday, though, so it still looks unlikely that he will play.
Even if he is able to avoid missing any games, he may have a more limited workload against the Lions, opening the door for Kiner to step up into more work.
Last week, Kiner got his first NFL touchdown against the Packers, finishing the game with eight carries for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Kiner joined the Patriots just before the season started in a trade from the Cardinals, and he has been growing into a more involved role over the last several weeks. He was a big part of the Patriots’ closing out the win over the Jets, grinding out the clock with power running late in that contest.
For the season, he has 50 total carries for 244 rushing yards. He has not been very involved as a receiver, though, with only two catches for 16 yards all season.
Earlier this week, Coach Mike Vrabel said on Monday, “Do I think that Corey can handle that workload? I think Corey is working extremely hard. I think Corey has done a really nice job. But there are also some things that Corey has to be able to improve on, just like a lot of guys, as far as recognition of the pressure and then the ability to block the pressure.”
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was much more complimentary, expressing confidence that Kiner could grow into the third-down role and be an every-down option. The only other option on the active roster is Lan Larison, who has three carries for 10 yards this season and two catches on three targets for nine more yards. He has only played 22 offensive snaps all season, but he was involved in third-down work in Week 1 when Henderson was sidelined. He drew two targets on just three snaps in that game.
The Lions are a tough matchup for running backs, allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Running backs have only scored five touchdowns against Detroit all season, and they are averaging just 72.3 rushing yards and 29.0 receiving yards per game.
For DFS contests, Kiner is not on the main slate, but he is in single-game Showdown contests like the NFL Showdown $400K Showdown Special [$100K to 1st] (NE @ DET) on DraftKings. In those contests, Kiner has a solid, midrange $7,000 salary in a FLEX spot and a $10,500 salary as a Captain’s Pick. Based on how tough the Lions have been against the run, Kiner isn’t likely to go off for a huge game and be a Captain option, but he should be a solid FLEX play if he can get into the end zone.
For season-long leagues, Kiner is a FLEX option who will be touchdown-reliant even if Stevenson is sidelined. He isn’t a “must-start” in many leagues but is a fringe option that makes sense if you’re stretched thin at the position in deeper leagues. His lack of history as a receiver in the NFL makes him a better option in non-PPR leagues than PPR formats.
