TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson Split Revealed in New Patriots Rumors amid Fantasy Drafts

The dreaded backfield platoon is returning to New England this season, which is disappointing news for fantasy football enthusiasts hoping that TreVeyon Henderson was about to have a massive 2026 campaign.

According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, "As Henderson enters his second season, it looks like he'll share the backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson pretty evenly. The Patriots want to take advantage of Henderson's big-play ability, but they believe in Stevenson a bit more to get what is blocked in front of him. So the guess is that Stevenson will be in for short-yardage situations and early downs, and that Henderson may check in for second- and third-and-long situations as long as his pass blocking holds up."

The Patriots were conservative with Henderson's workload last season, especially in the first half of the season. Through eight games he had 228 yards on the ground and one touchdown, adding 16 receptions for 99 yards.

But the Patriots unleashed him a bit more in the second half—partly because Stevenson dealt with injury issues in November, missing three games—and it instantly made their offense more dynamic. In his final nine games of the regular season Henderson rushed for 683 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. He was massive for fantasy owners who stuck with him through a disappointing first half of the season.

He again was relegated to a minimal impact in the team's run to the Super Bowl, however, rushing 30 times for 76 yards in four postseason games while catching five passes for 33 yards.

And it feels like we are yet again trending toward Stevenson having a major role in the team's backfield in 2026.

Stevenson has frustrated fantasy players and Patriots' fans alike in the past, given his fumbling issues and his lack of big-play ability. He'll get the three or four yards in front of him but often isn't creating more yardage beyond that, compared to Henderson's explosive play capability.

But clearly the Patriots trust Stevenson, and all signs point to yet another shared workload between him and Henderson.