Rhamondre Stevenson has been a bit of a frustrating player for fantasy managers to roster so far this season. He’s shown flashes of his talent, but the disastrous state of the New England Patriots‘ offense has held him back for a large portion of the season.
However, after three solid performances in a row, is Stevenson someone that you can trust in your fantasy football starting lineup here in Week 13? Let’s dive in.
Should You Start Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 13?
Analysis by Kyle Soppe | I’m not ready to bend the knee and say that from this point forward Stevenson should be valued at the same level he was in August, but he’s certainly trending in that direction by finishing as an RB2 or better in five of his past six games (three top 10s).
The first step in that process is a lead role. Last week, he held a 53-15 snap edge over Ezekiel Elliott (25-5 advantage in routes run) and posted 20+ carries for the second straight game, bringing his season total to two such games.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The other significant step relevant for fantasy managers to consider is the fact that Stevenson has seen at least four targets in six straight games. The Chargers’ run defense has been more vulnerable through the air than on the ground of late, but let’s not confuse this as some defensive front to fear.
I have Stevenson as my RB19 this week, with the thought being that New England continues to funnel their offense through him in what figures to be a close game; it’s the Chargers, and almost all their games are like that.
Trending Start/Sit Searches for Stevenson
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use and it allows you to enter in up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, and we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity!
Should You Start Stevenson or David Montgomery?
The Start/Sit Optimizer has this as a very close decision as the two RBs are separated by just 0.4 points in projections. Stevenson has a much easier matchup in front of him with the Chargers defense that’s allowing 21.1 fantasy points per game. Conversely, David Montgomery faces a New Orleans Saints defense allowing 16.6 per contest.
It’s essentially a coin flip and they’re back-to-back in my rankings. If you need to make a decision right now, Montgomery would get the edge for me because of the state of the Detroit Lions’ offense compared to New England’s, but if you feel strongly about the matchup being better for Stevenson, it’s fine to go with the Patriots RB.
Should You Start Stevenson or Jaylen Warren?
Jaylen Warren was supposed to see an increased workload this past week, but that never really came to fruition. While he has an absolutely perfect matchup in front of him going up against the Arizona Cardinals, the PFN Start/Sit Optimizer gives the edge to Stevenson.
MORE: Yates’ Week 13 Waiver Wire Rankings
Stevenson is currently projected for 10.2 fantasy points in half-PPR scoring formats, while Warren is projected for 9.9. I agree with the Optimizer here and I would be playing Stevenson over Warren simply due to the guaranteed volume.
Kyle Yates’ Week 13 RB Rankings
1) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at PHI)
2) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. CIN)
3) Alvin Kamara | NO (vs. DET)
4) Tony Pollard | DAL (vs. SEA)
5) Austin Ekeler | LAC (at NE)
6) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. CLE)
7) Derrick Henry | TEN (vs. IND)
8) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at NYJ)
9) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at NO)
10) Rachaad White | TB (vs. CAR)
11) Zack Moss | IND (at TEN)
12) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at GB)
13) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at WAS)
14) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. LAC)
15) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. ATL)
16) D’Andre Swift | PHI (vs. SF)
17) David Montgomery | DET (at NO)
18) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. ARI)
19) Javonte Williams | DEN (at HOU)
20) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. ARI)
21) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. MIA)
22) Joe Mixon | CIN (at JAX)
23) Devin Singletary | HOU (vs. DEN)
24) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at DAL)
25) James Conner | ARI (at PIT)
26) Jerome Ford | CLE (at LAR)
27) AJ Dillon | GB (vs. KC)
28) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at TB)
29) Kareem Hunt | CLE (at LAR)
30) Tyjae Spears | TEN (vs. IND)
31) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. DEN)
32) Ezekiel Elliott | NE (vs. LAC)
33) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at NYJ)
34) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. SEA)
35) Miles Sanders | CAR (at TB)
36) Samaje Perine | DEN (at HOU)
37) Antonio Gibson | WAS (vs. MIA)
38) Royce Freeman | LAR (vs. CLE)
39) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at WAS)
40) D’Ernest Johnson | JAX (vs. CIN)
41) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. SF)
42) De’Von Achane | MIA (at WAS)
43) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at HOU)
44) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. DET)
45) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC (at GB)
46) Joshua Kelley | LAC (at NE)
47) Elijah Mitchell | SF (at PHI)
48) Dalvin Cook | NYJ (vs. ATL)
49) Chase Edmonds | TB (vs. CAR)
50) DeeJay Dallas | SEA (at DAL)
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
