Week 5 saw the New England Patriots climb over .500 for the first time in 2026 with a 45-17 dissection of a surprisingly solid Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshine in Foxborough.
Amidst the backdrop of Drake Maye's revival, clouds gathered. The second quarter saw two key contributors leave the game. Left tackle Will Campbell suffered a knee injury that will keep him off the field for weeks. Running back TreVeyon Henderson met him in the locker room thanks to a high ankle sprain. That's not expected to land him on injured reserve and cost him at least four games -- ESPN's Adam Schefter, preserving his access to the NFL's top agents, made sure to include that Henderson is "regarded as a quick healer" -- but it will keep him out
of New England's tailback platoon for the near future.
That's going to primarily benefit Rhamondre Stevenson. He's already earned more than double Henderson's offensive snaps this season, in part due to the minor injury that kept the younger back out of the season opener. But Stevenson is volatile thanks to fumble issues. The Patriots need a lightning back to pair with his thunder. That's going to fall to Corey Kiner, at least at first.
Who is Corey Kiner, and is he worth picking up on fantasy rosters?
The Patriots traded a seventh round pick for Kiner in late August, locking him into the roster rather than hoping to land him with a waiver wire claim after preseason cuts. He was an undrafted rookie with the Arizona Cardinals in 2025, logging 12 carries over four games in a dense, but often injured, Arizona tailback rotation. He'd racked up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at the University of Cincinnati, but at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds and with an underwhelming 4.57-second 40 time at the combine, he emerged as an intriguing, but low priority, prospect.
That makes him a tough fit to replace Henderson's breakaway speed. Even so, he performed well in Week 5, albeit against an increasingly disinterested Raiders team in a blowout. He had six carries for 52 yards, including a 32-yard scamper to cap the game. He also fumbled on his first handoff and didn't see the ball again until there were fewer than seven minutes left in the third quarter and the Patriots were protecting a three-possession lead.
Kiner can bring some low-key, less dynamic Cam Skattebo runs where he uses his burst to create space but struggles to sustain it. He'll get a handful of touches behind Stevenson that could turn into something more if he's efficient. But before Week 5 he'd turned 14 carries into 29 yards: expecting useful fantasy value is a big ask. With New England also able to promote Lan Larison from the practice squad and likely to add another running back as Week 6 approaches, you can safely leave Kiner on the waiver wire.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Who is TreVeyon Henderson's backup after ankle injury, and is he fantasy relevant?
