Derrick Henry

Week 6 vs. Baltimore Ravens (London)
Derrick Henry continues to get the majority of the backfield opportunities in Tennessee, but it's time to be concerned about the increasing involvement of Tyjae Spears. Spears played 49% of the Titans' offensive snaps in Week 5, but has out-snapped Henry twice this year already and saw 12 of the 28 backfield opportunities (carries plus targets) in last week's game. Henry will not have nearly the floor he usually does if he is effectively splitting touches with Spears, and he really only projects for a ceiling outcome in games with a clear positive game script. That will not be the case this week with the Titans traveling to London to take on a formidable Ravens defense. Henry is still a surefire fantasy starter, but he is more of a RB2 in his current environment for Week 6.

Week 4 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Derrick Henry's Week 3 performance was an abject disaster as the Titans got obliterated by the Browns' elite defense and failed to clear 100 total yards of offense. The Browns look like they might have the best defense in football this year, so Henry's matchups can only improve from here. That being said, Henry gets the Bengals in Week 4 who also have a solid run defense and will put Henry at risk for a negative game script given their talent on offense. Henry's lack of pass catching contributions (five receptions in three games) make him higher risk than other backs that are typically ranked near him for fantasy. Henry is still a large part of the Titans' weekly game plans for as long as the game remains competitive, but he is looking more like a low-end RB1 or RB2 given how inconsistent the Titans have been offensively this year.

Week 2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Derrick Henry's Week 1 performance looks fine on paper. He logged 119 total yards on 17 touches (15 carries and two receptions), but backup Tyjae Spears actually out-snapped Henry 34 to 30. Spears played every third down for the Titans and siphoned off four of Ryan Tannehill's targets on the day. Some of Spears' usage can be attributed to game script as the Titans were trailing most of the game, leading to more passing situations for the Tennessee offense. That being said, it appears clear that Henry will not play on many third downs this season, which severely caps his pass catching upside. Henry remains a good bet for great rushing volume, but Week 1 showed that he is still somewhat game script dependent with a limited role in the passing game. Henry remains a RB1 for Week 2 against the Chargers, but he will need some systemic improvement from Tannehill and the offense as a whole to reach his ceiling.