TreVeyon

Henderson

The presence of A.J. Brown in the New England offense, Graf said, could stop teams from crowding the line of scrimmage this season. The Patriots in 2025 faced the league’s second highest rate of stacked boxes (eight or more defenders) at 52 percent, as opposing defenses were not afraid of the team’s pass-catching options. This in turn created less-than-optimal conditions for TreVeon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. New England last year ranked 18th in yards before contact per attempt, a rate that could (should) rise if defenses give more respect to the passing attack. Graf said Henderson could continue missing out on valuable snaps if he hasn’t improved his pass protection this offseason.

Reiss bases his conclusion on Jennings’ work with the first-unit punt protection team. Jennings, 25, rushed 23 times for 73 yards and one touchdown, and turned his lone target into a nine-yard gain last year. Jennings is a name to know for waiver wire purposes, in case RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson miss time. Aside from that, Jennings will not be scoring fantasy points on the punt squad.

Smart. Henderson was viewed as a potential passing game contributor as a rookie last year, but veteran RB Rhamondre Stevenson continued to lead the way on passing downs throughout the year. Over the course of the playoffs, Stevenson out-snapped Henderson 54-to-6 on third down and 20-to-17 in the two-minute drill. If Henderson has meaningfully improved pass protection and receiving, he could challenge Stevenson for that role in training camp. Henderson adds that after being tested “physically and mentally” by playing through consecutive extended seasons, at Ohio State and with the Patriots, he has been “refreshed as a full participant in the team’s voluntary offseason program.”

Henderson needed to be a Super Bowl X-factor, but it turned out no Pat was capable of changing the game vs. the Seahawks’ defensive onslaught. The No. 38 overall pick of the draft, Henderson struggled to overtake Rhamondre Stevenson as starter even though he eventually led the team in rushing and totaled 10 touchdowns. As explosive as advertised — he cleared 5.0 yards per carry as the Patriots’ “lightning back,” and finished top 10 in rush yards over expected — Henderson was nevertheless disfavored by the playoffs, where Stevenson was the runaway “1A” option. It was still an ultimately promising rookie season, but Stevenson remains under contract for 2026, and there’s little reason to expect the Pats to abandon their two-back approach following a Super Bowl run. Henderson offers plenty of offseason upside as an RB2 option, but would need something to happen to Stevenson to make a run at RB1 status.

There’s not much to see here, folks. Henderson handled just three of the Patriots’ 28 backfield carries in Sunday’s win, with his longest tote going for four yards. The rookie has had single-digit carries in two of the Patriots’ three playoff games this postseason and is averaging just 2.4 YPC on those carries. It’s possible he sees more work in the Super Bowl, but his usage will be hard to predict given his limited touches and lack of efficiency.

Henderson is practicing fully this week, so his availability for the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game against the Broncos’ top-tier defense is not in jeopardy. He will continue sharing the backfield workload with veteran RB Rhamondre Stevenson, who is playing very well at the moment.

It was a disappointing performance, especially in light of what seemed to be a significant Rhamondre Stevenson eye injury. Stevenson did return to close out the game, out-touching Henderson 20-13 and out-gaining him 81-23. The Pats’ backfield duo has a rough AFC Championship Game matchup in the Broncos’ elite run defense. In theory, that could lead to OC Josh McDaniels looking to get Henderson more involved on the perimeter/out in space than he has been of late. It is nevertheless safe to assume Stevenson will remain the 1A ball-carrier as the Pats look to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the Tom Brady era.

Henderson helped run out the clock with a 15-yard run up the middle at the end of the game. He largely played the sidekick role while RB Rhamondre Stevenson stole the show, though. Henderson’s best play of the day was a pass-protection pickup on TE Hunter Henry’s 28-yard touchdown. Chargers LB Daiyan Henley blitzed through a wide-open lane up the middle, and Henderson put a hard hit on him, sending the linebacker spinning down to the ground in front of QB Drake Maye. Henderson will likely have an easier time producing against the Steelers, rather than the Texans, though we will not know which team he will face until tomorrow night’s game concludes.

The multi-score game on the ground was the fourth of Henderson’s excellent rookie season. He somehow got out-scored 3-2 by Rhamondre Stevenson, but Henderson won the touches battle, as he now does more weeks than not. Henderson’s emergence and Stevenson’s increased efficiency since returning from his ankle injury in Week 12 has combined to make the Patriots’ backfield one of the most formidable in the league, or at least amongst the playoff field. Henderson and company will face the Chargers at home in the Wild Card Round.

Rhamondre Stevenson got the start and saw all three of the Pats’ carries on their opening drive. Henderson was on the field for the next drive, but Stevenson’s role on the first series foreshadowed his dominance of the touches that matter. He would go on to score at the goal line in the first quarter and picked up a receiving touchdown at the top of the second frame. He finished the day with five catches while Henderson did not log a target. Henderson remains the Pats’ top back in fantasy, but the lack of high-value touches will keep him parked at the back of the RB2 ranks for Week 18 versus Miami.