TreVeyon Henderson Shines, But Can We Trust Him?

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Henderson got off to a fast start. After taking the opening kickoff 27 yards, he entered the game on the second play and busted off a 12-yard run on his first carry. 

His second touch was an 18-yard sprint, giving Henderson 30 yards on 2 carries in the first 2 minutes of the game.

Henderson's next notable action came in the third quarter, when he broke off a 27-yarder down the right sideline. His first 5 carries of the game netted Henderson a career-high of 61 yards.

The rookie finished the game with 75 yards on his 10 carries. He was not targeted in the passing game.

Meanwhile, Stevenson led New England's backfield with 14 carries. Stevenson averaged only 2.4 yards per carry, which had many wondering when Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels might make a change.

But looking at the snap count tells us that the Patriots coaching staff still trusts Stevenson as their lead back.

Stevenson played 50 of New England's 68 snaps.

And even though Henderson earned 10 carries, those touches all came in 14 snaps.

Henderson has only played more than 20 snaps once since Week 3. Through Week 8, he's been in on only 32.2% of New England's snaps.

As good as Henderson looked against an elite Cleveland run defense, it's hard to trust him as a reliable flex option when he's playing so little and still firmly behind Stevenson.

Week 8 was a step in the right direction, but until we see Henderson carve out a more consistent role (or earn more than 11% of the touches inside the opponent's 5-yard line), fantasy managers should proceed with caution.