The New England Patriots are hoping to take a step forward offensively in the 2024 NFL season. And to be honest, there's really nowhere to go but up after the team tied for last in points scored last year at 13.9 per game.
It's unlikely that a lot of Patriots players will be taken in fantasy football drafts over the next week or so, at least not in the early rounds.
One player who will be drafted in every league is Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson. He has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and about three receptions per game over his career. All starting running backs have value regardless of your league's scoring format.
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While Stevenson will absolutely be an integral part of the Patriots offense this season, you probably shouldn't ask him to do the same for your fantasy football team.
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NBC Sports fantasy guru Matthew Berry recently joined Phil Perry on NBC Sports Boston's Next Pats Podcast to discuss several Patriots-related fantasy football topics, including Stevenson's value.
"He's going (in drafts) around a top 20 fantasy running back on Yahoo! or ESPN," Berry said. "Here's my concern about Stevenson: Last year he had career lows in yards per carry, yards per target and catch rate. It's an offensive line that, to be kind, has struggled. We don't expect it to be great. It struggled in the preseason.
"You have to think about what Stevenson does well. There are a lot of things he does well, but in terms of his fantasy value, one of the big keys to Stevenson when he's a fantasy factor has been his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and his usage as a pass-catching running back. To that point, over the last two years, 45 percent of Stevenson's fantasy points have come as a receiver. What did the Patriots do this offseason? They went out and got Antonio Gibson.
"I'm a Commanders fan, so I know Gibson. Gibson, by the way, is a really nice pass-catching running back. He's a converted wide receiver -- he played wideout in college and they converted him to a running back. The concern is if Stevenson is going to be more of a first- or second-down back, and Antonio Gibson is going to be the third-down back, and with a bad offensive line, that gets you nervous. Especially because, at the moment -- and things could change -- it doesn't feel like the Patriots are going to be leading in a ton of games this year. There's a decent chance they could be in negative game script, so they'll need to be throwing to catch up. And if they're throwing to catch up, is it always going to be to Stevenson or a mixture between him and Gibson? Could Stevenson not get as much first- and second-down work because they have to throw every down? It's a concern for me."
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Berry likes some other top 25 running backs a little more than Stevenson.
"When you think of other running backs being drafted around where Stevenson is going, he's being drafted ahead of Raheem Mostert," Berry said. "Mostert had 18 touchdowns for the Dolphins last year. And I know (Mostert) is over 30 and has an injury history, but he had 18 touchdowns last year. If you get 10 (in 2024) you like it.
"Stevenson also is going around the same round as James Connor. Connor has had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage three straight years. Stevenson is going ahead of Najee Harris in what should be a run-heavy offense in Pittsburgh.
"Again, I love the player in Stevenson ... but I hate where he's being drafted."
Also in this episode:
- Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett – who starts?
- Phil Perry reacts to Jerod Mayo saying concerns over the offensive line are “overblown"
- Breaking down waiver wire additions