Patriots’ Ezekiel Elliott-Rhamondre Stevenson Duo Could Pay Off For Bettors

Ezekiel Elliott’s deal with the New England Patriots was made official Wednesday, and the veteran back hit the ground running in a joint practice with the Packers on the same day.

The roster addition didn’t move the needle on the Patriots’ team futures, but it did have a big effect on new teammate Rhamondre Stevenson’s projections. With Damien Harris now in Buffalo, bookmakers had set Stevenson’s rushing yards prop at 1,000 and touchdowns at 7.5 for this season.

The news of the Zeke signing, however, caused Stevenson’s lines to drop to 850 yards and 5.5 touchdowns. Elliott’s props, meanwhile, are set low at just 375.5 rushing yards and 4.5 rushing touchdowns at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Now is the time to take advantage of the adjusted totals and go over the dropped number on Stevenson’s rushing yards and take the over on the very conservative touchdown number for Zeke.

While no one can predict head coach Bill Belichick’s game plan, it’s assumed the Patriots will use Stevenson as the early-down back and Elliott near the goal line. With Stevenson being the workhorse, he will accumulate those rushing yards you need to cash the over 850 yards. He had 606 yards in his 12-game rookie year and followed that up by averaging five yards per carry with 1,040 yards last season while splitting carries with Damien Harris. The 25-year-old was among the league’s best, ranking fifth in rushing yards over expected. While a move on the number is warranted, I think it’s been over-adjusted, and Stevenson will still be used early and often in games. You can bet over 849.5 rushing yards (-110) at BetMGM where $110 wins you $100.

It’s expected that Elliot, who doesn’t quite have the same burst he had years ago, will take over in the red zone and in short-yardage situations. The former Cowboy will be the one capitalizing on scoring opportunities, possibly cashing on the over 4.5 touchdowns sooner than later. Elliott scored five or more touchdowns in each of his seven NFL seasons. He even scored seven in 2017 despite playing in just 10 games. Last season, he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 15 games in a workshare with Tony Pollard. His rushing yards and yards per carry were the lowest of his career, but he still had no problem at the goal line. Even better, at FanDuel you’re getting +112 to the over 4.5 touchdowns with a $100 wager bringing back $112 in a win.

Elliott still has gas left in the tank so expect plenty of endzone celebrations this year — just in a new shade of blue and white.