Just when New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson was beginning to emerge, we are now back to square one.
With fellow running back Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined the last three games, the rookie has shined in the backfield to the tune of 47 carries for 264 yards and four touchdowns and 10 receptions for 66 yards and one more score.
While that's all well and good, Henderson's role could change drastically in Week 12, as Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Friday that Stevenson is expected to play on Sunday.
"I would say there wasn't many restrictions and that he responded well to the practice. I would say that as long as there are not any setbacks here, he'd be in line to play," Vrabel said, per ESPN's Mike Reiss.
TreVeyon Henderson fantasy tip
Prior to Stevenson's injury, Henderson was playing second fiddle to the veteran back, which limited his touches.
There is a real possibility New England will go back to doing exactly that upon Stevenson's return, as Vrabel tends to be rigid in his approach.
In the eight games Stevenson has played in this season, Henderson averaged just 8.6 touches per game.
For our fantasy football folks out there, that makes Henderson a very risky play in Week 12 and the safest approach might be to keep him on the bench.
One thing working in Henderson's favor is the fact that he was very productive in Stevenson's absence, so perhaps the Patriots will take that into account and keep him more involved than he was earlier in the season.
It's also possible the Patriots will ease Stevenson back in for his first game back, but we can't say for sure that will be the case.
Until we get some more clarity, we would expect things to go back to the way they were before Stevenson got hurt and that would mean Henderson is no longer a viable fantasy option until further notice.
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