Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season has barely begun. Yet, fantasy football managers are already having to navigate the always precarious injury landscape.
After practicing on Wednesday and Thursday, New England Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson was absent from Friday’s practice. Is Stevenson dealing with an injury? Should fantasy managers prepare to be without him on Sunday?
Latest News Surrounding Rhamondre Stevenson
On Friday afternoon, the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan reported, “No Rhamondre Stevenson at Patriots practice.” He added that “Stevenson’s absence is puzzling.”
As things currently stand, we do not know why Stevenson, who practiced in full each of the first two days of this week, was not there on Friday. I am quite certain reporters will ask head coach Bill Belichick about it after practice. Additionally, final injury reports are due today. So, we will find out for sure whether Stevenson’s absence was injury-related.
Update: Stevenson’s absence was due to a stomach bug. There’s always a possibility things like this could linger, but given that he has 48 hours to recover, fantasy managers should be able to breathe easy now with the knowledge that Stevenson is not injured.
Will Stevenson Play This Week?
While we don’t yet know why Stevenson missed practice, we do have an answer to this all-important question. According to The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed:
#Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson is still expected to play Sunday despite today's absence from practice, per source.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) September 8, 2023
It’s important to note that “expected” does not mean “will.” This language suggests it is likely some sort of injury. However, there is still the possibility Stevenson was excused for personal reasons. We will update this article this afternoon once we have an answer.
What Does This Mean for Stevenson’s Fantasy Ranking?
Given Kyed’s track record of reliability, we have not moved Stevenson in our PFN Consensus Rankings. He remains a volume-based high RB2 in a tough matchup.
Fantasy managers have no reason to panic at this point. We simply do not know enough.
In the event Stevenson does miss this week’s contest, Ezekiel Elliott would likely see all the work he can handle. The Patriots literally don’t have an RB3 on the roster. They are going to have to elevate one from the practice squad just for depth purposes.
If Zeke does start for the Patriots, I beg of you, do not start him on your fantasy teams. Elliott has nothing left. He is completely cooked. With a full workload, fantasy managers can expect Zeke to barrel into the backs of his offensive linemen for three yards and a cloud of dust against a stout Eagles defensive line. Given that it’s Week 1, fantasy managers should have better alternatives on their benches.