On paper, Rhamondre Stevenson looks like a safe fantasy bet in Week 7 on Thursday Night Football. Of course, the same could have been said a year ago. Warning signs are emerging as we approach the season's midpoint.
As a rookie in Week 10 of the 2021 season, Stevenson posted the best fantasy output of his young career, scoring 27.4 points on 24 touches. Four days later, he played on Thursday Night Football and earned only 8.5 points on 13 touches. The following year, his Sunday-to-Thursday touch count in Weeks 11 to 12 was 21 and then 16. His next Thursday matchup was in 2024, when he had only six touches (and 0.3 fantasy points) after racking up 17.0 points on 23 touches four days earlier.
These short turnarounds have not been kind to Stevenson.
Now he's facing a Bears defense that's yielding the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing RBs. Stevenson probably will need to score to be worth starting.
He's also contending with the fact that TreVeyon Henderson, despite this past Sunday's lost fumble, has frequently looked better. Henderson is averaging more yards per carry and more yards per reception. A year ago at this time, Stevenson was roughly a week away from getting hurt and losing the starting job to his rookie teammate, who mostly dominated down the stretch.
If you start Stevenson tonight, consider the opponent, his backfield competition, his elevated injury risk, and his history of underwhelming in the back half of Sunday-to-Thursday games.
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This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Can fantasy managers trust Rhamondre Stevenson tonight?
