Despite leading the NFL in rushing yards, touchdowns and attempts in 2019, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry failed to make the top tier of running backs for fantasy football in the eyes of Pro Football Focus.
PFF’s Dwain McFarland placed Henry in “Tier 3” because of his lack of usage in the passing game during his career, but did note that an increase in passing-down snaps will easily catapult him to the top tier.
The only potential flaw for Derrick Henry is his splits when the Titans drop back to pass — which was about 55% of the time in 2019. He was the fourth-most-reliant running back on run-heavy splits among the top 24 PPR backs.
He averaged a brutish 4.2 yards per carry after contact over the past two seasons. It is tough to hold the big man down from an efficiency standpoint. His touchdowns per attempt over the past two seasons — 5.6% and 5.2%, respectively — also ranked among the best in the NFL.
Henry has a shot at extracting additional pass-down snaps with the departure of Dion Lewis but will have to beat out rookie Darrynton Evans. He catapults to Tier 1 and has a ceiling of the top fantasy back overall if that happens.
Here’s a look at the backs who made the top-two tiers, per PFF.
Tier 1
Christian McCaffrey | Carolina Panthers
Saquon Barkley | New York Giants
Ezekiel Elliot | Dallas Cowboys
Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints
Dalvin Cook | Minnesota Vikings
Tier 2
Kenyan Drake | Arizona Cardinals
Miles Sanders | Philadelphia Eagles
What do all of those backs have in common? Each of them are used heavily in the passing game on top of their rushing duties, which is something that has historically been missing from Henry’s repertoire.
Most of the time, it’s hard to make an argument for a running back like Henry who isn’t featured in the passing game to be a top-tier back in PPR, but he certainly breaks the mold because of his elite usage, big-play ability and regular goal line opportunities.
Even though he only saw 24 targets in 15 games (1.6 per contest), Henry still finished with the fifth-most points in PPR, per Fantasy Pros, and that was with him playing in one less game than the four backs ahead of him.
What’s more impressive is that the Alabama product did all that in the face of an insane amount of stacked boxes, as his 188 carries against eight-plus-man fronts led the NFL in 2019.
If the Titans can continue their success from last season through the air with Ryan Tannehill, it’ll help keep opposing defenses more honest, which will only open things up for Henry even more.
It’s scary to think what a home-run hitter like Henry, who is also a beast at gaining yards after contact (1,268 of his 1,540 yards were after contact), can do with more room to operate.
It remains to be seen if Henry will get more looks in the passing game in 2020, but even if he doesn’t he has proven he can overcome that — and it’s why he should still be considered a top-tier fantasy back in all formats.
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