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Derrick Henry has overcome traditional knowledge in the NFL, as well as in fantasy football, defining being the exception to the usual rules. His ridiculously high usage often results in a short peak for NFL running backs, but that hasn't been the case for Henry.
His production remains consistently strong, despite often leading all players in carries per game.
When it comes to fantasy football, running backs lacking receiving upside often have a limited ceiling, while usually earning the dreaded touchdown-dependent label.
Henry has already broken this trend as well, consistently being among the top fantasy scorers through his ground game alone. He will look to keep things rolling during the 2023 NFL season as a relatively unexpected sleeper pick.
Derrick Henry's 2023 Fantasy Outlook
Derrick Henry enters the 2023 fantasy football season in a similar situation as he was last year, being somewhat overlooked in most drafts. Many around the fantasy community labeled last season as the year his production must be due to drop off, especially considering his foot injury the season before.
Henry proved the doubters wrong, turning in his usual workhorse dominance. Henry ranked third among all players in rushing yards last year and trailed only Josh Jacobs in total carries.
He also finished as the RB4 in fantasy football, making many managers regret looking past him during their preseason drafts. Despite all of this, the superstar running back is once again being somewhat overlooked ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
One of the reasons for the relative pessimism on Henry this year is the fact that the Tennessee Titans selected Tyjae Spears in the 2023 NFL draft. While many believe this was an effort to reduce Henry's workload, there's no definitive proof that will actually happen.
He's had strong backups behind him before, but he's still exceeded 200 carries in each of the last five seasons, including surpassing 300 carries three times. He's always been a workhorse and has never struggled to produce, so history suggests he will do so again this year.
Also read - Christian McCaffrey fantasy outlook: Should you pick 49ers RB this year?
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Is Derrick Henry a good pick in Fantasy Football this year?
With the exception of the 2021 NFL season when Derrick Henry only played in eight games, he has never missed more than a game during any other season of his entire career. This is despite his unmatched workload among all other NFL players, especially running backs.
In the modern NFL where teams are reducing the carries per back and spreading the workload around, Henry has been unaffected by the recent changes. He has led the league in carries twice and ranked second in another season, while still averaging nearly five yards per carry during his incredible career.
The highlight of Henry's career came when he surpassed the rare milestone of exceeding 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. He was well on his way to doing so again in 2021 prior to his foot injury, which also would have been his third consecutive year leading the NFL in rushing yards. He earned his nickname King Henry because of his multiple rushing titles.
Before acquiring Derrick Henry or any other player this year, make sure to check out the fantasy football trade analyzer to maximize value.
Post-injury in 2022, Derrick Henry proved he hasn't lost a step at all, ranking among the top rushers once again. Despite all of this, he can be drafted for a relatively cheap price ahead of the 2023 fantasy football season. His upside compared to his ADP unexpectedly gives him incredible sleeper value.
Also read - Samaje Perrine fantasy outlook: Is Broncos RB a good pick in 2023?
Where should you draft Derrick Henry this year?
Derrick Henry currently ranks as the RB6 and 16th overall player in 2023 fantasy football drafts, according to his recent ADP. This means he's being selected in the second round of most fantasy drafts this year. Considering his insane upside as a legitimate candidate to finish as RB1, as he has before, he has excellent value compared to his ADP.
Nick Chubb and Bijan Robinson are the two running backs ranked directly above Henry's ADP. Chubb has been as much of a workhorse as Henry during his career, though on a shorter timeline, while having a bit less success than the Tennessee Titans' star.
Robinson has elite upside, he's still an unproven rookie. He wouldn't be the first rookie to have enormous expectations and potentially fail to live up to them.
Where Henry also thrives is his extremely high floor compared to most other running backs. As long as he can stay healthy again, there's nothing about his history with the Titans that suggests he won't be the focal point of their entire offensive scheme.
In the same way that he consistently carries his offense in the real NFL, Henry is more than capable of being a solid RB1 on any fantasy football roster.
