Fantasy Alert: Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson Rumored to be Out 'Weeks' After Injury

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to miss "a few weeks" after suffering a high ankle sprain, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Patriots have five games left in the regular season, so a recovery time of multiple weeks could jeopardize Stevenson's status for the remainder of the year. Whether or not he lands on injured reserve could be telling since declining to use that option would be a tacit admission by the team he could be back within four games.

Expectations were high for Stevenson coming into the year. He had run for 1,040 yards and averaged five yards per carry in 2022 while sharing the rushing load with Damien Harris. The stage was seemingly set for the 2021 fourth-round pick to break out.

Instead, Stevenson's season has matched that of his team. He has run for 619 yards and four touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 238 yards.

The Patriots as a whole, meanwhile, are averaging the fifth-fewest yards of offense (290.4) in the league. They're all but guaranteed to have a new starting quarterback in the offseason, and for the first time since the Clinton administration someone else might be leading them on the sideline.

With Stevenson out, Ezekiel Elliott will become the primary ball-carrier. The three-time Pro Bowler is averaging 3.8 yards per carry for the second straight season, his days as an elite running back clearly behind him.

More specifically when it comes to his usage, Elliott may get an even higher volume of touches around the goal line. His 14 carries inside the red zone were nearly equal to that of Stevenson (18). Fantasy football managers may want to take note.