Last year was supposed to be when Stevenson took a dominant lead in the New England backfield, as the Patriots gave the 2021 fourth-round pick a four-year, $36 million extension before the start of the season. It was a massive disappointment when Stevenson endured the worst season of his NFL career. It wasn't all truly awful -- 3.9 YPC was a decent enough average given the dysfunctional state of New England's offensive line -- but Stevenson's seven fumbles were a ghastly number. The Patriots toyed with benching him multiple times, eventually pulling the trigger in Week 17 (two touches) and Week 18 (zero snaps). Fumbling has been an off-and-on issue for Stevenson in the NFL, with seven on 620 touches before 2024, so even on his extended contract he won't have job security under Mike Vrabel's new coaching staff. That's even more so the case after the Patriots took TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick in this year's draft, giving Stevenson stiff competition for the lead backfield role. Stevenson otherwise has excellent fantasy upside, at least theoretically, due to his combination of size, balance and passing-down viability, which allows him to stay on the field in all situations and handle both goal-line carries and dump-off targets. If he gets it together, Stevenson can be part of the story of how the Patriots offense rebuilt itself. If not, he'll quickly become a forgotten man in a Henderson-led backfield.
