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Fantasy Stars & Studs, Week 17: Season-long standouts

By Nicholas McGee

Dec 28, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts after his touchdown pass against the New England Patriots in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts after his touchdown pass against the New England Patriots in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) and quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) celebrate after a touchdown play during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) and quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) celebrate after a touchdown play during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Derrick Henry – Tennessee Titans

After winning the rushing title in 2019, it seemed impossible that Henry could improve on the Herculean efforts that proved pivotal in setting the Titans up for a run to the AFC Championship game.

Remarkably, after leading the league in both carries and yards last year, Henry produced an even more impressive season while taking on a greater share of the workload.

Again racking up the most rushing attempts in the NFL with 378, an increase of 71 from 2019, Henry put together the first 2,000-yard campaign in what is fast becoming a storied career while also finishing the regular season with a league-high 17 touchdowns on the ground.

In standard scoring, Henry ended the season as the top fantasy running back with 333.1 points. It is a slightly different story in points per reception leagues, where he finished the year third behind Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook, who are significantly more involved in their respective passing attacks.

This was a season to send a message that one of the most dominant running backs in modern NFL history is not going to wear down and fantasy managers that avoided him because of his heavy workload should not do the same again. Henry had a consensus ADP of seventh overall in PPR leagues in 2020. Even in leagues that rely heavily on target shares, there is scope for that to improve given just how reliable Henry has proven.

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