After the Rams traded up to select Darrell Henderson in the third round of last year’s draft, the rampant speculation about his role and Todd Gurley’s future began. While he wasn’t anything close to Gurley’s replacement in 2019, he clearly was part of the team’s plan to move on from Gurley at some point in the future.
That point just happened to be this offseason as the Rams surprisingly cut Gurley in March, one month before drafting Cam Akers in the second round.
Henderson was a hot target for fantasy players in draft’s last year, seeming like a smart handcuff for Gurley. He rewarded those fantasy owners who drafted him around the seventh round with 184 total yards, zero touchdowns and 18 total fantasy points.
After that disappointing rookie season, his stock has tumbled in fantasy football. As Mike Clay of ESPN pointed out, Henderson was going in the seventh round in most drafts last year, but his ADP (average draft position) dropped to Round 11 this year.
Darrell Henderson as Todd Gurley's backup as a third-round rookie: ~Round 7 ADP
Darrell Henderson in 2nd year competing with a Day 2 rookie for lead back duties: ~Round 11 ADP (Rd 14 in SFBX)
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) July 10, 2020
It’s a puzzling development considering he has a better chance to earn significant playing time this season than he did last year. Akers is likely to be the top guy in the backfield, but if Henderson shines this summer, he could be the choice to get most of the carries – especially with Akers’ limited practice time due to the coronavirus.
As an 11th-round pick in fantasy, Henderson could prove to be a steal. Players being picked in around the same time as Henderson include Ronald Jones, J.K. Dobbins and Latavius Murray, none of whom are close to being surefire starters.
Akers, for comparison, is going about 15 picks before Henderson, according to Fantasy Pros ADP, which is fair. He’s received high praise from the Rams’ decision-makers and seems like the better choice to handle first- and second-down carries instead of Henderson.
That being said, Henderson is absolutely worth a late-round flier because of the upside he offers. If Akers stumbles this summer or early in the season, Henderson should be the next man up. Even if Henderson gets 5-10 touches per game, he could easily turn that into 30-50 yards thanks to his big-play ability.
Few players at that point in the draft offer as much reward as Henderson could.