Derrick Henry will be back with the Titans, who franchise tagged the steamroller RB Monday morning. In Tennessee, Henry returns to a near-identical situation in which he lead the league in rushing attempts (303), yards (1540), and TDs (16). Undoubtedly, this is the ideal home for Henry’s 2020 fantasy value, especially with Ryan Tannehill back and Dion Lewis out.
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Tannehill’s return is especially of note. With a stable QB under center, Henry rocketed from the RB14 in FPs (14.1 per game) to the RB2 from Week 7 on (22.5 per game), trailing only Christian McCaffrey. The Titans will undoubtedly benefit from this consistency, as will Henry for a full season.
Plus, with Lewis removed, Henry could see his role expand in the passing game. He has averaged 10.1 yards per reception in his NFL career, and his 11.4 YPC in 2019 was second highest among RBs. Henry was especially deadly on screens, averaging 13.8 YPC on screens. Yet, he’s averaged just 1.6 targets per game? Imagine the upside if these looks double… 2100 total yd, 20 TD ceiling, RB1 ceiling.
Ultimately, this is the ideal outcome for Henry. Arthur Smith ran at the fourth-highest clip (46.9%), and even if they lose beastly RT Jack Conklin, this remains a top-eight line in the league.
Henry is now my RB3 and third overall, behind only McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley.
