Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott were anticipated to be one of the NFL’s best backfield duos for the New England Patriots. Fantasy football managers drafted Stevenson expecting he would be a top-15 running back this season. Meanwhile, Elliott was considered a bench player with some potential touchdown upside.
Which running back should you start in Week 4?
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Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook This Week
Stevenson is the RB16, averaging 10.7 half-PPR fantasy points per game this season. He has 46 rushing attempts for 134 yards and a touchdown, averaging only 2.9 yards per rushing attempt. The former Oklahoma star has 10 receptions on 13 targets for 77 receiving yards.
While he hasn’t been very productive with his rushing attempts, Stevenson still leads the team in that category. Stevenson had a season-high 19 rushing attempts last week but only scored 6.7 fantasy points in the win.
Unfortunately, his receiving production took a hit with the Patriots only throwing the ball 29 times against the New York Jets. By comparison, they averaged 48 pass attempts per game over the first two weeks.
Ezekiel Elliott Fantasy Outlook This Week
Elliott was once the top running back in the NFL. However, those days are well behind him.
The former Ohio State standout is the RB47, averaging only 5.1 half-PPR fantasy points per game this season. He has 28 rushing attempts for 122 yards and zero touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per rushing attempt. The veteran also has six receptions on eight targets for 21 receiving yards.
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After having 12 rushing attempts in the first two games, Elliott had 16 in Week 3. More importantly, he averaged 3.5 yards per rushing attempt over the first two weeks before averaging five yards per attempt last week. However, the former Buckeye still hasn’t scored over 9.5 fantasy points in any game this season. He is yet to find the end zone in 2023.
Should You Start Stevenson or Elliott in Week 4?
Some fantasy players believe Elliott is taking over the backfield, or at least earning more of a role, after last week’s performance against New York. While the veteran had a season-high in rushing attempts, the Patriots used Elliott to help run out the clock last week.
However, Stevenson still had three more rushing attempts and played an additional 27% of the snaps.
Stevenson is still the No. 1 running back in New England’s backfield. But the matchup this week isn’t ideal for either player, with the Patriots heading to Dallas to face the Cowboys.
While James Conner averaged seven yards per rushing attempt and scored 18.6 half-PPR fantasy points against the Cowboys, Dallas is still one of the top teams at stopping the run, partly because of the leads they’ve jumped out to.
They have surrendered 4.4 yards per rushing attempt to running backs this season. Furthermore, the Cowboys have held RBs to only 67.3 rushing yards and 11.5 fantasy points per game, the third-fewest in the NFL.
This matchup is a revenge game for Elliott. However, don’t let that thought overrule your better judgment. Stevenson is the better fantasy option this week. He is a mid-level RB2, while Elliott is a boom-or-bust, touchdown-dependent flex option.