TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 3 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Things are off to a rough start for Derrick Henry as he continues to be invisible in the passing game, meaning he is in for a long night when the Titans get destroyed like they did Monday night. While Henry did manage to work in a short touchdown early, he finished with an abysmal 25 yards on 13 carries and no targets as the Titans got blown out by the Bills and eventually pulled their starters part-way through the second half. Henry is obviously an elite talent, but his lack of passing game usage means he is game-script dependent and heavily reliant on the team surrounding him to produce statistically. Through two weeks, Henry has one target and no receptions to go along with only one rushing touchdown as the Titans experience an offensive downturn in the wake of losing A.J. Brown. Henry can expect an easier day in Week 3 against the Raiders, but the early-season trends are concerning for his status as a RB1 in fantasy.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 - 1:49pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 2 at Buffalo Bills
Derrick Henry's Week 1 shows how vulnerable he can be when he is not involved in the passing game. Henry saw 18 carries in Week 1, but he only got a single target that he failed to haul in. As a result, Henry's stat line consists of 82 scoreless rushing yards, which is not the type of fantasy day that is going to work when he cost a first round pick in drafts. Henry's rushing volume remains exceptional, but relying solely on that for production can result in some slow fantasy days when he fails to get in the endzone or when the Titans fall behind on the scoreboard. Until we see otherwise, it appears that the spike in receiving work Henry got at the start of last season was an aberration rather than something that can be included in projections moving forward. Things will not be any easier in Week 2 when Henry and the Titans travel to Buffalo to face off with a fierce Bills defense that just ravaged the Rams offensive line in Week 1. Henry has to be started given his safe volume projection, but a ceiling day is unlikely against Buffalo this week.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 - 5:52pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 1 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 1 vs. New York Giants
Derrick Henry returns to the Tennessee backfield as the unquestioned centerpiece of the Titans' offensive attack. His Week 1 matchup against the Giants pits him against a run defense that finished in the bottom third of the NFL in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs (23.2 aFPA in half-PPR) last season. Henry should carry a heavy workload for the Titans in Week 1, and he will once again be one of the better bets in all of football to notch a rushing score. Henry's involvement in the passing game will be an intriguing storyline in Week 1 for the purpose of projecting his ceiling this year, but at the end of the day he remains a no-brainer RB1 even as the Titans face some uncertainty on their offensive depth chart due to offseason departures.

Thursday, September 8, 2022 - 4:48pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook

2022 Fantasy Upside
Prior to his Week 8 injury last season, Derrick Henry was logging nearly 30 touches per game, over 117 rushing yards per game, and had already scored 10 touchdowns on the ground. He had also caught 18 balls, a nondescript amount on paper but well ahead of his normal pace. In short, Henry was on pace for a league-winning season before breaking his foot midway through the year. Henry should be fully healthy for training camp later this month, and accordingly he should immediately retake control of the Titans' backfield and offense as a whole. The Titans have never wavered from making Henry the centerpiece of the offense, as is evident by his 27.5 touch average over his last 16 games. Henry may never pop in the passing game like some other backs and the Titans offense has lost some of its weaponry around him, but drafting him comes with a certain amount of security in that he will in all likelihood finish among the league leaders in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns barring serious injury. That workload alone locks him into RB1 status in fantasy, and if the Titans continue to use him in the passing game as they were last season, the sky is the limit for Henry, who has become a perennial candidate to lead all RBs in fantasy scoring whenever healthy.

2022 Fantasy Downside
Henry's fantasy concerns largely relate to the environment around him. The Titans lost A.J. Brown and (as of this writing) Julio Jones from the passing game this offseason, meaning Ryan Tannehill will be operating with Robert Woods and rookie Treylon Burks out wide. Defenses will be able to key in on Henry and the running game at a greater frequency this season without as many downfield threats in the Tennessee passing game. Another concern is Henry's usage in the passing game. While Henry logged 18 receptions in just eight games last season, banking on that to continue this year is relying on a very small sample size as Henry's career-high for receptions in a season remains just 19, back in 2020. Finally, Henry's huge workload will always bring injury concerns despite his history of durability. Henry's fractured foot should be fully healed by now, but we have seen similar injuries give players nagging issues throughout the years.

2022 Bottom Line
Henry projects as a strong RB1 in fantasy yet again in 2022. He comes with one of the safest volume projections in all of fantasy and carries massive upside in the rushing touchdown category as someone who dominates goal line carries. Whether Henry can get back to elite RB1 status will depend on his involvement in the passing game and the overall efficiency of the Titans offense. Henry is a surefire first round pick in fantasy even if he's not in contention for #1 overall this year.

Friday, July 8, 2022 - 3:46pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 8 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 8 at Indianapolis Colts

To put Derrick Henry's absurd 2021 into perspective, fantasy managers were disappointed in his Week 7 performance where he "only" racked up 102 total yards, yet still managed to find the endzone by throwing a touchdown on a jump-pass in the first quarter against the Chiefs. Of course, we can't count on passing touchdowns to bolster Henry's floor every week, but the fact of the matter is he's running as hot as any player in fantasy not named Cooper Kupp right now. Henry will get a tough matchup against a stout Colts run defense in Week 8, but opponents barely matter for Henry in fantasy as he is guaranteed the get amongst the largest workloads in the entire league every week and continues to find the endzone with startling consistency, whether that be on the ground or, apparently, with his arm. Through seven weeks, Henry is averaging over 26 fantasy points per game in full PPR and should be a foundational piece of lineups on a weekly basis.

Thursday, October 28, 2021 - 3:21pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 7 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 7 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Derrick Henry's start to the 2021 season has been nothing short of legendary in fantasy circles. Henry has racked up an absurd 162 carries through six weeks, turning that opportunity into 783 yards (4.8 YPC) and 10 touchdowns. On top of that, Henry has caught 16-of-18 targets for an additional 138 yards, representing numbers similar to what he would put up over the course of an entire season in the past. Henry has been the most reliable and explosive asset in fantasy this season, and with the Titans struggling in other areas of the offense, there are no signs of his rampage slowing down. Week 7 will bring a matchup with the Chiefs, a defense that is among the worst in the league and should stand little to no chance of obstructing Henry's path to a third straight rushing title. There really isn't much else to say. Henry is the clear overall RB1 in fantasy with Christian McCaffrey out. He should be locked into all lineups in all leagues on a weekly basis.

Friday, October 22, 2021 - 10:02am
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 6 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 6 vs. Buffalo Bills
Derrick Henry continues to see insane usage, registering another 29 carries in Week 5 without a target. The lack of passing game usage last week isn't something to worry about yet as it likely stemmed from a positive game script and the preceding four weeks paint a better picture of Henry's usage in a typical game. Henry gets a touch matchup with the Bills defense this week, but his bankable volume is almost unparalleled in the modern NFL and he continues to display enough efficiency to compete for yet another rushing title. Henry and the Titans are unlikely to see the same positive game script this week, but Henry is a no doubt RB1 regardless of opponent.

Friday, October 15, 2021 - 12:16pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 5 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 5 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Derrick Henry's fantasy rampage continued in Week 4 when he registered 33 carries for 157 yards and a touchdown, plus two receptions for 20 yards. Henry is averaging over 28 carries a game through four weeks and has racked up a massive (for him) 15 targets in those four games. Henry's newfound passing game role has elevated his fantasy ceiling to new heights with him simultaneously maintaining a stranglehold on the rushing work. The Titans will have no motivation to change things up heading into a Week 5 date with the lowly Jaguars, meaning Henry should be poised to rack up another game with huge volume in a projected positive game script. Henry is among the better bets in all of football to find the endzone this Sunday and will have eruption potential in a plus matchup. Lock him into all lineups as an elite RB1.

Friday, October 8, 2021 - 3:21pm
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 4 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 4 at NY Jets
Derrick Henry has been a smash pick so far in fantasy. We knew he would see massive rushing volume like always, but Henry is amassing targets and receptions at a career-high rate that has him as the top RB in fantasy through three weeks. Henry's 12 receptions in three games has him well above his usual pace in that department and gives him an insanely high floor/ceiling combination for fantasy purposes. Henry will be a workhorse again in Week 4 when the Titans travel to take on the lowly Jets in New York, likely without star wideouts A.J. Brown and Julio Jones. The projected game script nearly guarantees 20+ rushing attempts for Henry this week, and he is a fantastic bet to find the end zone at least once against a helpless Jets defense as the clear focal point of the Tennessee offense. Don't overthink this one. Lock Henry into all lineups as one of the best fantasy assets going right now, and watch out for an eruption on Sunday.

Friday, October 1, 2021 - 10:52am
TEN RB Derrick Henry - Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 3 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Derrick Henry followed a disappointing Week 1 by going nuclear in Week 2 against Seattle, finishing with 35 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps the most encouraging part of Henry's season so far is the fact that he now has 10 targets over his first two games of 2021. To put that in perspective, Henry's career-high in targets for a season is 31. It is hard to know for sure whether the increased target share is here to stay with Tennessee facing largely negative game scripts in those two games, but needless to say, if Henry is getting significant passing game work now the sky is the limit as far as his fantasy ceiling is concerned. In Week 3, Henry and the Titans will face off with a Colts defense that has been near the middle of the pack in the run defense department to this point in the season. No need to overthink this. Start Henry as a no doubt RB1 this week and hope he keeps seeing targets to unlock his ceiling as a fantasy asset.

Friday, September 24, 2021 - 12:37pm

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