There isn't much drama concerning the offensive backfield of the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots. Veteran runner Rhamondre Stevenson is the clear bell-cow starter, and the explosive TreVeyon Henderson is the change-of-pace guy.
But what happens if Henderson is hurt or limited?
Well, that just means more golden opportunities for Stevenson, who should be poised to take advantage of a higher snap count in a Super Bowl 60 rematch against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night.
On Tuesday, the Patriots officially ruled Henderson out with an ankle injury. While it's tough to see much of anyone having notable success against the Seahawks' elite defense, no Henderson in the picture for at least one week should make Stevenson a solid RB2. The
Patriots are likely to take the air out of the ball to mitigate Seattle's lethal pass-rush and secondary, and Stevenson should be poised to reap the benefits of such a game plan:
TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) September 8, 2026
No surprise. Hasn’t practiced since he was injured while slipping on the turf on Aug. 24.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner are active-roster backs. P-squad options Lan Larison and Hassan Haskins could get the call.
To be clear, I don't exactly love Stevenson against the Seahawks. After all, he only had seven carries for 23 yards in February's Super Bowl. I'm also not sure the Patriots, as an offense, score more than a few touchdowns, at most. But this is more of a volume thing. New England is going to try and pound the rock and take pressure off Drake Maye, which means we're going to see a lot of Stevenson behind what might be an improved offensive line.
If you're in need of a solid RB2 to begin your fantasy football season, you could do a lot worse than slotting Stevenson in.
Who will be Rhamondre Stevenson's backup against the Seahawks?
With Henderson out, expect to see Corey Kiner if the Patriots want to give Stevenson any sort of breather on Wednesday night. Kiner is entering his second NFL season, his first with the Patriots, as a former undrafted free agent in 2025.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: TreVeyon Henderson getting ruled out makes Patriots teammate a must-start vs. Seahawks
