Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook Soars After Latest Damien Harris Injury Update

Rhamondre Stevenson thrived in Week 5 after Damien Harris went down with a hamstring injury. Fantasy managers are eager to know Harris' status for Week 6 given the impact it'll have on the New England Patriots' backfield.

Damien Harris Injury Update

The latest update on Harris has sent Stevenson's fantasy outlook soaring.

Harris is likely to miss "multiple games" due to his hamstring issue, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Though a final timeline will be revealed once testing on the injury is concluded, it appears managers will need to make do without the current RB24 in PPR scoring for several weeks.

Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook

Harris' extended absence is great news for anyone rostering Stevenson. Each back's presence in this offense has limited the other's upside, but this now allows Stevenson to take on a true workhorse role.

Stevenson showcased his potential with his dominant Week 5 showing. He crushed his previous season highs attempts (14) and yards (73) by turning a whopping 25 carries into 161 yards against the Detroit Lions. He added another two receptions for 14 yards, giving him 19.5 PPR points, all without even scoring.

Now Stevenson is in a position to see his work seriously increase. He was already averaging a healthy 14.3 opportunities (10.8 carries plus 3.5 targets) over the first four games in the complementary role alongside Harris. Now he's the obvious candidate to absorb most of the 15.6 opportunities (13.3 carries plus 2.3 targets) Harris averaged before going down, which helped him rank as RB18 in PPR scoring during Weeks 1-4.

Making Stevenson even more appealing over the next few games is the fact he won't have to compete with Harris for touches in the red zone. Harris currently leads the team with seven carries inside the 20-yard line (compared to six for Stevenson), which he's converted into three touchdowns. Now Stevenson will be the top choice in those high-value situations, giving him an extra dose of scoring upside.

Stevenson is an automatic start for any lineup given the volume and quality touches he'll see. With the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and New York Jets up next on the Pats' schedule, it'd be no surprise to see Stevenson thrive in run-friendly game scripts.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.