Patriots HC Jerod Mayo said Wednesday that starting RB Antonio Gibson ahead of Rhamondre Stevenson this Sunday is "definitely under consideration." Stevenson has fumbled in each of New England's four games this year, losing fumbles each of the past two weeks. His playing time dipped to 46% and 55% in the past two games after coming in higher than 70% each of the first two weeks.
It's tough to know how much it matters who "starts" against the Dolphins this Sunday. Both Patriots RBs figure to stay involved in a game that finally finds New England favored.
But it's significant that Mayo shared this "consideration" rather than simply backing the veteran the team extended at $9 million per year just this offseason.
The Patriots have followed their surprising win at Cincinnati with three straight losses -- the past two by 17+ points each.
Clearly the coaches need to change something, and this concession adds risk of lighter workloads for Stevenson going forward. And it obviously adds risk that he's benched outright in any given game that includes another fumble.
We've knocked him down our Week 5 RB rankings a bit but still have Stevenson ahead of Gibson, and inside the top 24.
We'll watch for more on the situation.
Gibson's available in 74% of Sleeper leagues as of this writing. He's certainly worth adding ahead of an upside matchup with Miami.
We featured Gibson among our Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups.
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