Derrick Henry

A foot injury that cost him the second half of last season was the main obstacle standing between Henry and a third consecutive rushing title, and maybe even a second consecutive 2,000-yard campaign. He averaged career highs of 27.4 carries and 2.5 targets per game, up from 23.6 and 1.9 the year before, and ran for 937 yards and 10 TDs in eight games despite seeing eight-man fronts 36 percent of the time, one of the highest marks in the league. But there were signs his huge workload was catching up to him, even before he got hurt. Henry's 4.3 yards per carry was a step back from his performance the previous two seasons, and the downturn partially came from breaking tackles at a lower rate. He averaged 2.2 yards after contact in 2021, following 3.2 in 2019 and 2.8 in 2020, and his 10 broken tackles in those eight games was almost half his usual rate. On the other hand, he still ran with shocking speed for a big man, as rushing champ Jonathan Taylor was the only running back to post a faster top speed on a touchdown in 2021. Last season also was Henry's best yet in terms of per-game fantasy production, boosted by the ridiculous volume, and he even returned from his foot injury for a playoff loss to the Bengals. The Titans will keep riding their 28-year-old workhorse as long as he'll hold up, with the burden on the running game as large as ever this season after star wide receiver A.J. Brown was shipped to Philadelphia on draft day and replaced by rookie Treylon Burks.

It's still mind-boggling that as recently as 2018, the Titans thought Henry needed to split touches with Dion Lewis. Since then, he's proven to be the most physically dominant back in the league, winning consecutive rushing crowns and posting the eighth 2,000-yard campaign in NFL history. Henry hasn't wilted as his carries have increased either, keeping his YPC higher than 5.0 for the second straight season and finishing second to Dalvin Cook in broken tackles. In fact, Henry seems to thrive on dishing out punishment to defenders, and if you only counted his yards after contact, he still would have finished fourth in the league in rushing. There's just nothing subtle about his running style, as he uses his 6-3, 247-pound frame to bludgeon his way through holes and over would-be tacklers, while his nimble feet and breakaway speed are what set him apart from large backs who get stuck in short-yardage roles. The Titans will look for 2020 third-round pick Darrynton Evans to take a step forward and become a reliable passing-down option, but there's little else on the depth chart behind the duo as the team has clearly learned its lesson. Henry should once again see a big workload, pound out yards and wear down defenses, allowing Ryan Tannehill to do damage off play-action.

Henry's eruption at the end of 2018 proved to be merely a prelude to a thunderous 2019. He edged Nick Chubb for the rushing crown thanks both to a league-high 303 carries and 5.1 YPC, while also tying Aaron Jones for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns. At a beastly 6-3, 247, Henry is nearly impossible to bring down once he gets a head of steam - he tied for third in the NFL with 29 broken tackles (emphasis on the "broken") while ranking second with an average of 3.2 yards after contact. The Titans remain reluctant to use him much in the passing game, putting a ceiling on his overall fantasy production, but he continues to show some ability as a receiver, and there may be no more terrifying situation for a cornerback than seeing Henry get the ball in the flat and realizing you're all that stands between him and the end zone. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill thrived with the play-action opportunities Henry helped to create, and it is unlikely offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will add too many wrinkles to a formula that worked so brilliantly in the second half of last season. Henry even signed a long-term contract in July, removing the possibility of a holdout. Given his low workload prior to 2019, he should still have a few more seasons of peak output in the tank despite his punishing running style.

Henry's 2018 campaign really doesn't make much sense on paper. For 12 games he struggled in a timeshare with Dion Lewis, pigeon-holed as a short-yardage and power complement to the shifty former Patriot. Then Week 14 against the Jaguars happened. It's hard to believe a single performance could so radically change a club's perception of a player, but when the player rumbles for 238 yards and four TDs in four quarters, that's exactly what happens. Henry took on a heavier workload as the unquestioned lead back after that, and all told he piled up 55 percent of his rushing yards and seven of his 12 TDs in the season's final quarter, looking like a modern-day Earl Campbell while doing it. There's nothing subtle about Henry's skill set. He's a huge back who runs at and through people (his 38 broken tackles on rushes tied Saquon Barkley for second in the league) and while he possesses strong balance and surprising speed, his mindset is to wear down the defense and make it dread trying to tackle him. Lewis remains on hand for passing downs, but now that the Titans have figured out what they have in Henry, expect them to lean heavily on their 247-pound back.

The Titans elected not to bring back DeMarco Murray for 2018, and it's easy to see why after Henry outperformed the 30-year-old on the ground last year. One of the NFL's most intimidating backs, Henry uses every bit of his 6-3, 247-pound frame to inflict damage on any defender with the temerity to try bringing him down. He also displays surprisingly nimble feet, but for the most part his game is pure power, as he muscles through arm tackles in the hole and simply relies on mass and inertia to pick up yards after contact. So far, it's worked - Henry had eight runs of at least 15 yards and scored five TDs in each of his first two NFL campaigns, despite getting minimal work at the goal line. He figures to have more scoring opportunities with Murray out of the picture, but the Titans didn't give Dion Lewis a four-year, $19.8 million contract just to have him watch from the sidelines. Lewis figures to handle third-down work and mix in with Henry on early downs, likely forming a true timeshare. Nonetheless, Henry is poised for a big bump in his production, running behind a strong offensive line with new coordinator Matt LaFleur calling the shots.

Plucked in the second round of the 2016 draft, Henry's chances of making an impact as a rookie were dashed when the Titans picked up DeMarco Murray on the cheap from the Eagles, but he still put together a solid first season in the NFL with his limited opportunities. A huge, bruising force of nature out of the backfield at 6-3, 247, Henry doesn't make many people miss and doesn't need to, instead using his size and power to make himself difficult to wrap up and take down. He started to earn the coaching staff's trust at the goal line as the season progressed, scoring three TDs from inside the 5-yard line in the last three games, and he could see his duties there expand in 2017 as the Titans look to keep Murray healthy. As long as the veteran is around, though, Henry's touches and production will be capped.

Henry finally stepped into a featured role as a junior at Alabama, and he was ready for the work. The Tide ran him into the ground through 15 games: a ridiculous 395 carries, good for 2,219 yards and 28 scores. Henry capped his career with a Heisman trophy in December and a National Championship in January. He rolled up 167 yards and three scores in the clincher over Clemson. Henry starts the year as the clear No. 2 back in Tennessee — behind veteran DeMarco Murray — and Henry's lack of receiving chops (17 career catches) won't get him on the field. His 6-foot-3, 245-pound frame can be seen as a blessing or a curse — it enables him to run over defenders and gain yards after initial contact, but it also makes him a big target. Henry could lead Tennessee in rushing touchdowns, and he should be a weapon.