Ezekiel Elliott, Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook After Latest Patriots Contract

The New England Patriots have added veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott after signing the ex-Dallas Cowboy to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Here’s a quick look at how that changes developments in the Pats’ backfield from a fantasy perspective.

Per FantasyPros’ latest expert consensus draft rankings (aggregated before the Elliott signing), Stevenson is 23rd overall among all players and ninth among running backs in point-per-reception leagues.

It’s a fair ranking after Stevenson amassed 1,461 total yards and six touchdowns on 279 touches. He also rushed for 1,040 yards on 210 carries (5.0 yards per carry) and caught 69 passes (88 targets) on 421 yards.

Stevenson is an uber-efficient back, while Elliott is coming off a career-low 3.8 yards per carry. Elliott’s presence in New England shouldn’t be a threat to Stevenson getting close to 300 touches again.

It’s also hard seeing Stevenson losing much work in the pass game with this move, if at all. Elliott only saw 23 targets last year, catching 17 passes for 92 yards. Players who roster Stevenson should expect him to continue his great production for PPR leagues.

However, Stevenson could see a hit in short-yardage and goal line situations, with Elliott potentially stealing some touchdowns there. Pats beat writer Chad Graff of the Athletic posited that Elliott could “be a big help in short-yardage situations.”

Fantasy football analyst Ian Hartitz also provided a comparison between Elliott and Stevenson in goal line situations. In sum, Elliott was almost twice as efficient as Stevenson last year in scoring touchdowns on carries inside the five-yard line.

Adam Levitan of Establish the Run also gave a take on the matter.

Stevenson could be taking a hit in terms of his scoring potential.

That being said, Stevenson only scored six times last year and still managed to finish as the eighth-highest scoring running back in fantasy football.

The fact that he should still see upwards of 300 carries makes him a borderline top-12 running back at worst and in the top 10 at best. He shouldn’t fall lower than the third round in drafts and should ultimately be finding his way into the second round in leagues.

As for Elliott, he’s probably only a viable fantasy option should he be thrust into the starting role for whatever reason. He’ll be the clear backup in New England, and with Stevenson getting the brunt of the pass game work, he won’t be picking up those opportunities for more fantasy points. Goal line chances likely won’t be enough to turn Elliott into anything more than a potential fantasy handcuff.

Other running backs on the team such as Pierre Strong and Ty Montgomery Jr. may have been best left undrafted even without Elliott but are now definitely out of the picture with them likely moving further down the depth chart.