This is not the first time this season that the Patriots have given thought to benching Stevenson because of his ball security issues. After Stevenson fumbled in each of the first four games of the season -- losing two of them -- Antonio Gibson got the start at running back for New England in Week 5 against the Dolphins.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has lost some of his fantasy appeal heading into Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers. While Stevenson does rank as the overall RB24 in PPR leagues this year,

The Patriots head coach is speaking to the media after New England fell to the Bills, 24-21, on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y. He was up first with reporters who cover the team, and will speak to the “Greg Hill Show” on WEEI at 9:15 a.m.

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo left the door open for running back Antonio Gibson to start over Rhamondre Stevenson when speaking with the media on Monday. Stevenson's costly fumble in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills was his seventh fumble of the season.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson was involved in two of the Patriots’ turnovers. He lost a fumble midway through the third quarter and dropped a backward pass from rookie quarterback Drake Maye that was recovered at the goal line for a touchdown by the Bills.

When the New England Patriots signed Rhamondre Stevenson to a four-year, $36 million contract extension in June, they made their intentions clear. The team under the new leadership of Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf viewed the young running back as a key piece of its offense moving forward.