Stevenson and Hollins will not practice Wednesday

Stevenson told Mike Reiss that he’s “ready to go” and that he just got “rolled up on” late in Week 4’s win over the Bills. We’d be surprised if he didn’t play on Sunday and he should be regarded on the optimistic side of questionable.

Stevenson is on track to play in Week 5 against the Raiders. It would be great to see him upgrade to full participation tomorrow. Regardless, Stevenson should at least be available for FLEX-viable duties on game day, if not his normal RB2-worthy workload.

This one is a surprise considering head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier Wednesday that Stevenson would not practice. Instead, the 28-year-old is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday’s official practice report. Stevenson seemingly tweaked his knee towards the end of Week 4 but he has a chance to play in Week 5 against the Raiders.

Henderson operated as the backup to Rhamodre Stevenson, playing on 25 of the team’s 70 snaps, compared to 49 for Stevenson, and seeing 14 runs to Stevenson’s 13. Stevenson also ran a route on 20 of the team’s 43 dropbacks, compared to 12 for Henderson. Henderson did show off his speed on an 11-yard run, his long of the day, when it seemed like the Bills had him dead to rights on a reverse, but he was able to beat safety Cole Bishop to the edge and turn it upfield. It also seemed like Stevenson hurt his knee on the final drive of the game, so Henderson could be in for a much bigger role if his backfield mate were to miss any time.

Stevenson also hauled in a crucial two-point conversion catch on the late fourth-quarter drive that gave the Patriots the lead. Stevenson didn’t have any huge gains on the day, but he consistently gained yardage through the middle of the Bills’ defense and was the clear top option in the red zone. However, when the Patriots were trying to run out the clock, Stevenson got hit at the line of scrimmage and limped off the field with a knee injury. The game ended just two plays later, so this will have to be a situation fantasy managers monitor during the week.

TreVeyon Henderson, meanwhile, had eight rushes for a meager 23 yards in the blowout loss to Jacksonville. Stevenson ran most of the pass routes out of the backfield and saw more targets than Henderson, as usual. It didn’t lead to much. Stevenson next week against the Bills will be a touchdown dependent RB3 option who should be kept on the bench in most fantasy formats.

Henderson and Rhamonrde Stevenson were bottled up in the first half before the Patriots abandoned the run game in the second half, down by three scores. Henderson nearly broke a couple runs in the first half but was tripped up before a big play could develop. A boom-bust running back option, Henderson will remain big-play dependent in Week 4 against a gettable Buffalo run defense. His lack of pass-game involvement will be an issue in PPR formats.

Henderson was the second running back in the game after Rhamondre Stevenson, but he saw increased opportunity after an early Stevenson fumble. He scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, showcasing his burst on a 39-yard score in the first quarter. Henderson saw 16 touches to Stevenson’s seven and out-snapped the veteran 31 to 18 on the day. The 23-year-old has more speed than Stevenson and it was an encouraging sight to see him get a few red zone snaps amid the backfield split. Henderson benefitted from an early Stevenson fumble and capitalized for a long score; he will be on the RB2/3 borderline for Week 3 against the Jaguars.

Stevenson started the game for the Patriots backfield but quickly fell out of favor after a first quarter fumble. He was out-snapped the rest of the game by TreVeyon Henderson, who saw 31 snaps to Stevenson’s 18. The Pats did get Stevenson going again in the second half; he ripped off a 24-yard run in the third quarter to extend a drive that ended in a missed field goal. Based on Week 2 usage, Stevenson is the starter but will be quickly yanked as his career-long fumbling issues continue. He is a FLEX play for Week 3 against the jaguars.

Henderson logged a complete week of full practices after missing Week 1 with the ankle injury, returning to the fold to join Rhamondre Stevenson as the top two rushers for the Patriots. The fact that he was able to practice in full for three straight days seems to indicate there won’t be any restrictions with his workload, meaning fantasy managers can start him as a viable FLEX option against the Steelers.