James White Injury Update Improves Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook as Possible Sleeper

Update - Sep 29, 2021 4:54 pm. EST: James White is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, increasing Rhamondre Stevenson's outlook as a fantasy football waiver wire target.

After further medical examinations this week, Patriots’ RB James White’s hip injury is expected to end his 2021 season, per @FieldYates and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2021

Since he was drafted in 2014, no running back has more receptions than James White's 381. That's not all tied to playing with Tom Brady, either, as he opened the season with 13 receptions in 2021.

White suffered an injury in Week 3, however, and if he can't play in Week 4 it could finally be time for Rhamondre Stevenson's fantasy football outlook to spike.

#Patriots RB James White suffered a subluxation of the hip during yesterday’s game, per me and @MikeGiardi. The injury knocks the key offensive player out indefinitely. He has been undergoing tests today, but an IR stint would make sense.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2021

There was no one-to-one replacement for White in the Patriots' backfield when he went down in Week 3, with Brandon Bolden seeing 4 targets while Damien Harris and J.J. Taylor saw 2 each.

Stevenson has been inactive since fumbling in Week 1 (after recording just 1 carry and 1 reception on 5 snaps played), but he's the clear high-upside play behind Harris in this backfield. Neither Bolden nor Taylor saw a single target across the first two weeks of the season.

Stevenson's incredible preseason earned him those touches in Week 1, and with White out he should be in line for another opportunity.

Ivan Fears on Rhamondre Stevenson: "I think he's going to be great in his next appearance. I really do."

Said Stevenson had some trouble making the adjustment from college to the pros, but that he's happy with the way the rookie has responded since his rough debut.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) September 28, 2021

Stevenson is still just a speculative add in fantasy football, but he could have some serious upside with his opportunity to carve out a sizable role in White's absence.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. 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 his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.