Derrick Henry Expected to Continue Dominance in 2021

Derrick Henry became the eighth running back in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards when he put up 2,027 for the Tennessee Titans last year, and oddsmakers don’t expect him to slow down in the upcoming season.

WynnBET has released odds on which NFL running back will lead the league in rushing yards in 2021, and Derrick Henry is set as the sizable favorite at +130. Dalvin Cook (+550), Nick Chubb (+800), Christian McCaffrey (+1200) and Jonathan Taylor (+1400) round up the top five players on the odds list.

Henry had led the NFL in rushing yards in two straight seasons, and he’ll look to make it three straight in 2021. Despite being passed up in the NFL MVP race for Aaron Rodgers last year, Henry was named the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Henry’s odds to win the MVP award this year are set at +4000, which is tied for the shortest odds among all non-quarterbacks alongside McCaffrey.

Henry has some things working in his favor ahead of this season, including the Titans trading for star wide receiver Julio Jones. While some people may think that the addition of Jones will mean Henry will get fewer carries, it may actually help the former Alabama running back as teams will be forced to pay attention to Jones out wide, which should free up some running lanes in the box for Henry.

The Titans are expected to be in a race with the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC South crown, but WynnBET has the Colts set as slight -110 favorites.

Tennessee’s biggest hurdle that it will need to overcome to find success this season is their defense. The Titans allowed the ninth-most points per game in the NFL at 27, while also giving up the fourth-most yards per game at 398.4.

Whether or not Mike Vrabel can fix the defense remains to be seen, but another monster season for Henry is to be expected in 2021.