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Week 15 has arrived, and with that comes all sorts of injuries to deal with on top of plenty of COVID chaos, all of which has made setting fantasy football lineups really tricky. This is the first week of the playoffs for most fantasy football leagues, so it's crunch time, and making the correct start/sit decisions can be the difference between winning or seeing your season come to a close.
Let's check in on the injuries for the Los Angeles Rams running backs and their Week 15 Tuesday evening game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Is Darrell Henderson Jr. playing this week on Tuesday? Should I start Darrell Henderson if he does play? Should I start Sony Michel? Below we take a quick look at the updated injury status for Henderson Jr. and attempt to answer these questions.
Is Darrell Henderson Jr. Playing In Week 15 Against the Seahawks?
Darrell Henderson Jr. has been dealing with a thigh injury that caused him to miss Week 13, and then he was put on the COVID-IR and forced to miss Week 14 against the Cardinals. However, Henderson Jr. was activated off of the COVID-IR on Saturday:
It's important to note that being activated off of the COVID-IR means that Henderson is eligible to play, but does not mean that he 100% will be active on game day. If active, it also doesn't paint a clear picture on his potential usage:
Should I Start Darrell Henderson Jr. in Week 15 Against the Seahawks?
Henderson Jr. is reportedly vaccinated, but we don't know if he is still dealing with any of the lingering effects of the virus. As we saw weeks ago with Amari Cooper, sometimes a player returns but doesn't have the same cardiovascular fitness as they did before.
For instance, the Miami Dolphins are in a similar situation. They just activated Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed off of the COVID-IR, but Brian Flores has stated that it's possible neither back actually plays this weekend. As a result, it is hard to say for sure if Henderson will play or how much he will play.
Given the importance of this week for most fantasy managers, we would recommend sitting Henderson if your only other option is a running back playing on Sunday. We know there is a temptation to wait for Henderson, but if he doesn't play or is reported to be on a strict snap count, and you don't have another option, it could be a huge blow to your playoff chances. So, if your only other option is a solid running back on Sunday, you should opt for safety.
However, if you have another running back playing on Tuesday -- like Rashaad Penny, Sony Michel, Miles Sanders, etc. -- then you can certainly afford to wait and see what reports surface over the next two days.
Should I Start Sony Michel in Week 15 Against the Seahawks?
The last time Henderson Jr. and Sony Michel shared a backfield, in Week 12, Henderson Jr. had 80% of the rushes and 80.3% of the snaps. Without Henderson in the lineup, Sony Michel played 97% and 100% of the snaps -- so the Rams have not really rotated backs a lot this year.
Without Henderson Jr., Sony Michel has been fine. He had a great game (121 yards and a touchdown) against Jacksonville but ran for only 79 yards on 20 carries against Arizona. He also only has three catches for eight yards in the last two games combined. Henderson Jr. caught four balls for 18 yards and a touchdown in just his last game against Green Bay.
Personally, I think if Henderson Jr. is healthy enough to start, he is going to see at least two-thirds of the workload. He is the far better receiver and has proven to be as good at gaining positive yardage and rushing in short-yardage situations as Michel. If both backs are active and we don't get a clear report that Henderson will be limited or on a firm snap count, I prefer going back to Henderson Jr. because of his well-rounded game.
However, given that Henderson is coming off of a thigh injury and COVID, I'm not expecting him to play 80% of the snaps again and would expect more of a split in carries with Henderson taking the receiving work. We also saw this tweet from a Rams beat reporter on Saturday afternoon:
As a result, I think Henderson is more of a low-end RB2 option, rather than the RB1 you have been used to for most of the season. Michel is decent option to start, but would also become a low-end RB2 or FLEX-worthy type who would need a touchdown for substantial value.
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