TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) will practice Monday

It seemed pretty obvious that Henderson wasn’t going to play Sunday after it was announced the second-year runner was dealing with “neurological symptoms” but it’s now official. There are much bigger things than football going on in his life. While he gets better, Corey Kiner should be the backup running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson going forward.

This certainly sounds like a scary situation for Henderson, whose absence has been the subject of speculation for nearly two weeks. Henderson said that the results of “comprehensive medical testing have come back positive and reassuring, but he continues to work with specialists and physical therapists. Henderson said these issues have affected his “strength, coordination, and some of [his] physical functions,” while adding that he is working to return to full health. While we don’t want to speculate too much, it doesn’t sound like Henderson will be back anytime soon. Hopefully we will get more clarity on his situation soon, but our thoughts are with him and his continued recovery.

Reiss was asked about Henderson’s status during his weekly appearance on the local radio show, Toucher & Hardy. According to Reiss, Henderson has faced a lot of new challenges this season, including recurring ankle issues and limited playing time, and the adversity has been tough for Henderson to deal with. Some might remember that similar reports surfaced regarding Bucky Irving, beset by multiple injuries, last season. Henderson might need more time before he resumes playing. Stay tuned. He was officially listed as a non-participant on Thursday.

It’s rare for a player to miss even one game with an illness. It’s even more unheard of for them to miss the next practice. It’s possible Henderson is dealing with something more severe than the flu or a stomach bug. If he isn’t able to play in Week 9, Rhamondre Stevenson will handle the bulk of the backfield touches once again. He touched the ball 22 times on Sunday and would be in line for a similar workload against the Packers.

Henderson first popped on the injury report with a missed practice Thursday before maintaining that status to end the week, ultimately unable to play through the ailment while being ruled out Saturday. Rhamondre Stevenson steps into a potential workhorse role against the downtrodden Dolphins, where he will be an upside RB2 in Week 8. Expect the team to elevate another back from their practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game to play behind Stevenson and Corey Kiner, the latter of whom is expected to serve as the primary change of pace option with Henderson out.

Henderson missed practice Thursday with an illness, ultimately drawing the questionable tag for the team’s Week 8 divisional clash with the Dolphins. That places fantasy managers in a precarious position considering the team plays in the afternoon portion of the Sunday slate. It would be prudent to make alternate plans at FLEX.

Illnesses typically don’t hold back NFL players, so we’d be surprised if Henderson missed time, but it is worth noting that it was a Thursday addition to the report. Because of that, if he missed Friday, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was listed as questionable. We’d still expect him to play either way.

Henderson continues to play second, or third, fiddle behind Rhamondre Stevenson when the Patriots are forced into “gotta have it” mode, with Stevenson the back most trusted in key situations. The Patriots fell into an early hole and were playing catch-up throughout against the Bears, something that could help to explain the lowly opportunity total for the back widely considered the more explosive of the two. Furthermore, the team continued to rotate Corey Kiner through the opportunity pecking order, placing another sizable dent in the weekly floor of Henderson. Although he could find more opportunities in a softer matchup in Week 8, he’ll be a difficult click to insert into fantasy lineups against the Dolphins.

Henderson will be active for the Patriots’ Thursday Night Football game, but his usage is up in the air. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel got RB Corey Kiner going late last week after Henderson fumbled. The Patriots won’t simply discard their former second-round pick, so he remains FLEX-viable, but he may be playing with a very limited touch count.

It’s been a stunningly quick recovery from what looked to be a high-ankle sprain that could sideline him. Henderson has practiced in full both days this week. We’re not concerned that he won’t play, but after fumble problems struck last week and Corey Kiner closed out the Jets in the fourth quarter, we do have slightly lowered expectations for his Thursday night stat line.