As fantasy football managers are finalizing their playoff and DFS lineups for the Divisional Round of the NFL postseason, some injury situations will shape their decisions and separate the winners from the losers.
Let's take a look at the Tennessee Titans, the AFC's No. 1 seed, after their bye week in the Wild-Card round. The extra week off after the end of the regular season allowed Tennessee to rest up some of their key players, including one in particular that could make all the difference if the Titans are to make a run to the Super Bowl.
Is Derrick Henry playing this week on Saturday in the Divisional Round? And if Henry is active, how much will he play? Let's take a closer look at the Titans backfield heading into their matchup against Cincinnati.
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Is Derrick Henry Playing This Week Against the Bengals?
After a multi-week foot injury, Titans running back Derrick Henry will make his long-awaited return and play in the Divisional Round against the Bengals on Saturday. As Adam Schefter mentions below, Henry is expected to get the start in his first game action since breaking the fifth metatarsal in his right foot back in Week 8.
Despite missing nine games in 2021, King Henry was still a top-20 fantasy RB with 937 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 219 carries in eight games played. He added 18 receptions on 20 targets for an additional 154 receiving yards.
The 28-year-old physical specimen had more rushing yards in eight games than Damien Harris (15 games), Melvin Gordon III (16 games), Austin Ekeler (16 games), Alvin Kamara (13 games), and Josh Jacobs (15 games), to name a few.
Henry had five straight 100-yard rushing games from Weeks 2-6, including three, three-touchdown performances against the Seahawks, Jaguars, and Bills.
Should I Start Derrick Henry in DFS?
There's always a risk factor with any player returning from a long layoff like Derrick Henry's, especially since he's the most expensive RB at DraftKings ($7,500) for the Divisional Round.
However, Henry will start against the Bengals, and with the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, the risk is mitigated because of the fact that he's the most physically dominant RB in the league when he's healthy. They don't call him the King for nothing.
From a health standpoint, the All-Pro running back shouldn't have any limitations after having surgery back in November. Henry's foot has been healed for several weeks and he returned to practice earlier this month.
With that said, the Titans could ease Henry in early in the game, so it might not be wise to expect 30-plus carries in his first game back. Still, Henry could be worth his lofty DFS price against a Bengals defense that allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to RBs in the final three weeks of the regular season.
Before his injury, Henry averaged 117.1 yards per game, 4.3 yards per carry, and 27.4 carries per game. And in each of the last three seasons, he has averaged over 100 rushing yards per game. The Titans will certainly lean heavily on their best offensive player, especially late in the game, so there's no reason why fantasy managers shouldn't do the same now that he's finally back.
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