Titans RB Derrick Henry played in just eight games last season, but still he managed to put up 937 yards on 219 carries, averaging 117.1 yards-per-game. If he were healthy for the full season and maintained that average, Henry would have totalled 1990 rushing yards. That would have put him almost 200 yards ahead of Jonathan Taylor, who took home the rushing title with 1811 yards.
Henry went down in October (Week 8) with a Jones fracture. Coincidently, the injury occured in a matchup against Jonathan Taylor’s Colts (at the time, Henry led Taylor by nearly 300 yards). A Jones fracture is a specific type of break that is defined as a transverse fracture at the base of the 5th metatarsal. Transverse meaning the bone breaks at a 90° angle across the long axis of the bone, and 5th metatarsal referring to the bone connecting the pinky toe to the ankle.
Henry wouldn’t see the field again until January 22, twelve weeks after he suffered the fracture. He didn’t look like his old self, and managed just 62 yards on 20 carries in the loss. It was his final performance of the season, and it has left plenty of fans with a healthy dose of concern heading into 2022.
The upside is still there, though. Henry ranked 44th in VBD at the end of the season; he was the only player in the Top 75 to play in under 10 games. He also was 49th in total fantasy points (175), being the only player in the Top 100 to play under 10 games. And in terms of running backs he finished the season as 14th overall, which (again) is crazy considering he played in just eight games.
Health Analysis
The good news is that his poor performance in the playoffs wasn’t all that surprising. Jones fractures require complex rehabilitation methods that are lengthy and tedious. His presence against the Bengals was more out of necessity than anything. He certainly wasn’t the reason they lost. Now Henry has had the offseason to continue to heal and get stronger. There is still some risk, considering he is relatively old for a running back and now has a serious injury to his name, but he still has enough upside to be a top 5 pick.
Henry 2021 Season Stats – 219 ATT / 937 YDS / 10 TD / 49 1D / 4.3 Y/A / 117.1 Y/G
