Fantasy Football Debate: Derrick Henry vs Kenyan Drake

MIAMI, FL – AUGUST 09: Kenyan Drake #32 of the Miami Dolphins runs through the hole in the first quarter during a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) Fantasy Football Denate /

The goal of this series is to arm you with enough information for you to confidently decide between two players with similar PPR ADP’s. Today in our Fantasy Football Debate, we break down Derrick Henry vs Kenyan Drake.

You’ve made it through three rounds and so far you like your team but now it is time for Fantasy Football Debate. The last thing you want to do is blow it now. Admittedly, you spent most of your time obsessing over your first three picks. Admittedly to yourself of course. Never make the mistake of appearing unprepared at your league’s draft. Keep it cool and no one will notice how internally skittish you are. Everyone knows the signs of self-doubt.

The guy who’s been joking around all draft suddenly retreats to a corner to scour the web for as many expert opinions he can find in two minutes or less. When the experts have dictated his pick this guy slinks his way to the stickers, peels a name from its backing and like a thief in the night applies the sticker to the board. Crookedly of course. Totally destroying the board’s aesthetic for the rest of us who appreciate beautiful artwork.

That’s what the draft board is once the final sticker is applied, right? Art. A draft board with the column under your name looking exactly the way you planned it to look is more valuable than anything Picasso or Basquiat ever had their mitts on. I know a Basquiat painting sold for over 110 million a year ago. Don’t get it twisted, their paintings are cool but they can’t win me a stack the way these stickers can. Here’s where I come in. I’m here to make sure your masterpiece isn’t ruined in the fourth round. Let’s take a good look at who you should choose when deciding between former Alabama backfield mates Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 13: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans runs the ball against the New England Patriots during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Football Debate – the case for Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry is massive. Standing 6’3″, 245 pounds, the 24-year-old looks more like a pass rushing defensive end than he does a running back. Like Kenyan Drake and so many others before them, Derrick Henry played college ball under Nick Saban at Alabama.

Henry started his career at Bama in 2013. He wasn’t a major contributor as a freshman even though he averaged close to 11 yards per carry on his 36 regular season carries. In the Sugar Bowl he turned heads with 100 yards rushing on just 8 carries. He added a 61 yard receiving touchdown for good measure. From that point on the NCAA was on notice.

The 2014 season saw Henry splitting touches with Jacksonville Jaguar TJ Yeldon. Henry and Yeldon each had over 170 carries on the season and each finished with 11 scores on the ground. Despite Yeldon getting his number called more than Henry, Henry out rushed Yeldon by 11 yards and averaged close to a yard more per carry.

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2015 was the season Henry cemented his legacy in the Alabama and NCAA record books. Henry ran for over 2200 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. An impressive season where he had multiple games rushing for 200+ yards, multiple games rushing for 150+ yards while scoring a touchdown in all 15 games he played in. The Crimson Tide won the CFB championship in 2015. The championship wasn’t the only trophy Henry won that season. He won the Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award and the big one, the Heisman Trophy.

Heading into the draft Henry was considered the #2 back coming out that year behind Zeke Elliot. Although Henry dominated in college there were many questions surrounding him. Is he shifty enough to make it in the NFL? He carried the ball a ton in college, would durability be a concern? Is he just too damn big? His large frame and straight up and down running style provides a big target to hit for NFL defenders. Is he too much of a liability in the passing game? The Tennessee Titans selected Henry in the 2nd round of the NFL draft making him the 2nd overall back taken behind the aforementioned Zeke Elliot.

Henry’s professional career has been dominated by one word, committee. Demarco Murray was there when he was drafted and was there in 2017 as well. Henry made the most of his carries both seasons. If you combine his 2016 and 2017 seasons you get a glimpse of what Henry is given a RB1 workload. Those seasons combine for 284 carries, 1234 yards and 10 touchdowns. As expected he has not contributed much in the passing games with 11 and 13 receptions respectively over his first two seasons.

If I told you you ‘d get 1234 and 10 out of your 4th round pick you’d take that any day. Demarco Murray is no longer a Titan. This is what everyone has waited for. Finally Henry is the lead back all by himself in Tennessee. Henry truthers and dynasty owners would finally get the season they’ve waited on outta the kid. Yeah that lasted for just a few months before news broke that the Titans signed former Patriot RB Dion Lewis.

Dion Lewis finished 2017 as the as the RB15 in PPR formats. On the surface this didn’t seem too bad. Henry would handle the 1st and 2nd down work and Lewis would be the 3rd down back. When you dig a little deeper and actually look at the numbers you see something very different. Lewis is much more than just a 3rd down back. He’s an every down back. His 180 carries in 2017 were more than Henry’s 176. On those 180 carries, Lewis averaged .7 yards per carry more than Henry. Lewis caught 32 of his 35 targets out of the backfield. If you read my Jerick McKinnon vs Joe Mixon debate then you remember Lewis’ 91% catch rate was the best in the league.

Will Henry be the lead 1st and 2nd down back with Lewis handling 3rd downs? Honestly, know one knows. Head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Matt Lefleur are both in their first season with the Titans. I think a question that we can answer more definitively is will Dion Lewis or Derrick Henry be on the field for 3rd downs and obvious passing situations. Dion Lewis seems a pretty clear answer to that question. The rest we just don’t know.

Fantasy Football Debate – the case for Kenyan Drake

Kenyan Drake, like Henry is a 24-year-old former Alabama running back. Like Henry, Drake is not a small running back by any means. Standing 6’1″ tall and weighing 210 pounds, Drake can be compared to Le’Veon Bell and Joe Mixon.

Drake’s college career did not go as swimmingly as Henry’s. In 2014 Drake broke his leg. A gruesome break that will turn your stomach when watching. A foot isn’t supposed to point in that direction. One of the first things I pointed out to my son while watching Drake Dolphin film was how skinny his lower legs look. He looks like a superior athlete with my legs from the knee down. Take my word for it I’m no Saquon Barkley when it comes to leg strength. Never the less that was 2014 and Drake’s legs have held up since then. Drake suffered a broken arm the following season at Bama. The injury sidelined him a few weeks but didn’t keep him from playing in Bama’s 2015 CFB national championship win. Drake contributed a 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 45-40 win.

Drake needed to prove the leg injury was behind him at the 2016 combine. He did just that by clocking a 4.41 in the 40 yard dash. Drake looked impressive in all RB drills and stood out in catching drills. He has good hands and transitions quickly between the catch and run. His bench press reps fell far below the average with just 10. We aren’t looking for Drake to be a power runner but 10 reps is disappointing.

Drake was selected in the 3rd round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins. The Phins made Drake the 3rd back taken behind Elliot and Henry. The leg injury was behind Drake in the eyes of Dolphin brass.

The 2016 season was Drake’s new teammate, Jay Ajayi‘s career year. Ajayi rushed for 1200+ yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Drake never had more than 9 carries in a game that year. Kenyan finished the season with positive numbers. When his name was called, he answered. His 33 carries for 179 yards were good for a 5.4 yards per carry average.

Fast forward to 2017 and once again Jay Ajayi is the Miami’s lead back headed into the season. A role that most people thought he’d thrive in. Surprisingly to most outside of Miami, the Phins traded Ajayi to Philly for a 4th round pick at the end of October. Up until that point Drake’s season high in carries, like 2016 was 9. Damien Williams was named the post-Ajayi starter. Miami penciled Drake in as the backup.

It wouldn’t be until week 12 that Drake would get his time to shine. Shine he did. 23 carries for 120 yards and a score with 3 catches for another 20 yards. Williams was injured. Drake was now the man in Miami.

Over the final 5 weeks of the season, Drake averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 91 attempts. he scored twice and caught 17 passes. Watching Drake run, his shiftiness jumps immediately out at you. His jump cuts remind me of Devonta Freeman and his foot-in-the-ground straight leg cuts look like Le’Veon Bell. Judging by his tape the leg injury and any symptoms are long gone. Kenyan Drake is fun to watch. His team on the other hand, not so much.

Like Henry when 2017 was shaping up to be Drake’s chance to dominate carries in the Dolphin backfield a monkey wrench was thrown in when the Phins signed father time, Frank Gore. What does this mean for Henry? We can only speculate but I don’t think Gore wil take many touches from Henry between the twenties. The red zone is where my concern lies in this situation. We know Drake isn’t a particularly strong runner and we know Gore is a battering ram. That combination could mean Gore will be what fantasy owner’s hate. A touchdown vulture.

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Fantasy Football Debate – The Verdict

This debate is the hardest debate thus far. These two backs find themselves in very similar situations. A recurring theme between the former Crimson Tide teammates. Henry and Drake were the main options in their respective backfields for a portion of the off-season. The Titans upset that notion by acquiring Dion Lewis as did the Dolphins when they acquired Frank Gore.

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Dion Lewis and Frank Gore are two completely different players at this point in their careers. Dion Lewis is a bigger threat to Henry than Gore is to Drake. Lewis is a complete back who can handle early down work and catch the ball with above average efficiency. When I looked at these four players I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Drake and Lewis.

That being said, because Henry is a massive man do not make the mistake of pigeon holing him into a three yards and a cloud of dust type of runner. Henry runs great off the edge. He runs better off the edge than he does up the gut. When he gets to the next level, he’s fast. When Henry turns on the jets he’s a force to be reckoned with for defenders.

The Titans have a new head coach and a new offensive coordinator. The offensive line on the other hand remains in tact from last year. In the past O.C. Matt Lefleur ran a lot of screens. A play that will benefit both Henry and Lewis. LeFleur also runs a lot of play-action which will certainly benefit QB Marcus Mariota. Pro Football Focus ranked Mariota the best QB on play-action passes in the NFL in 2017 with a 122.8 QBR on such plays. Keep that in mind when you’re drafting your quarterback.

The Dolphins have a new offensive coordinator as well. Dowell Loggains teams back up with Adam Gase in Miami after having last coached together in Chicago. Looking back to their final season together in Chicago nothing spectacular stands out except for maybe Jay Cutler having an above average year. Loggains received a lot of criticism in Chicago for being too vanilla early in his tenure. Later in his time with the Bears he drew criticism for being pass happy. Gase is an offensive mind which leads me to believe this offense will be more his than Loggains.

This is a tough decision to make. After researching Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake I learned three key things:

Kenyan Drake is a baller. He’s quick and elusive with ankle breaking moves in his repertoire.
Dion Lewis is as good if not better than Derrick Henry is as an inside runner.
I worry more about Lewis limiting Henry than I do Gore limiting Drake.

Those three factors among others I covered is why the winner of this Fantasy Football Debate is Kenyan Drake. Take him in the 4th and keep your masterpiece in tact.

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Stayed tuned for the next edition of Fantasy Football Debate coming soon.

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