Derrick Henry is the starting running back for the Tennessee Titans. He was given the nickname “King Henry” in high school due to his imposing size and dominance as a rusher. Henry attended high school in Yulee, Florida, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. He set the record for rushing yards in a game (510 yards) and finished his high school career with 12,124 rushing yards and 153 touchdowns. He holds the record for most rushing yards in a high school career. He was rated a five-star prospect and committed to Alabama. Henry played sparingly his freshman season, but had a breakout game his sophomore season in the Sugar Bowl, when he rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. An announcer from the Spanish broadcast of the game gave him the nickname “El Tractorcito” (which translates as little tractor).
The majority of Henry's college stats were compiled in his junior season, when he rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns. He won multiple awards and accolades, most notably the Heisman Trophy. Henry declared for the 2016 NFL Draft and had a respectable performance at the NFL Combine, running a 4.54 40-yard Dash. He was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
After splitting snaps in the backfield with DeMarco Murray, Henry exploded onto the scene in his third year with a 99-yard run against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished that game as the first running back to have 238 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a game, all on less than 22 carries. In the 2019 season, he led the NFL in carries (303), rushing yards (1,539), rushing touchdowns (16) and Yards Created (579). Henry also led the Titans to the playoffs, where he rushed for 182 yards in a win over the New England Patriots. Henry followed up that performance with a 195-yard rushing performance against the Baltimore Ravens, becoming the only player in NFL history to have at least 175 rushing yards in consecutive playoff games.
The Titans franchise tagged Henry, but later offered him a contract worth up to $50 million. In the 2020 season, Henry again finished as the NFL's leading rusher with 2027 yards on the ground. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns with 17, as well as Yards Created with 1,125. After starting the 2021 season strong, Henry suffered a foot fracture and was out until the Divisional Round of the playoffs, when he returned and contributed 62 rushing yards and a touchdown in a losing effort. He had his highest Target Share of his career in 2021 season, with zero drops, indicating he is a competent pass catcher out of the backfield. Henry somehow finished the season as the RB22 in fantasy, even as he missed significant time.
The Titans added Tyjae Spears in the 2023 draft and Henry saw his Opportunity Share drop from 83.0-percent (No. 2) in 2022 to 64.6-percent (No. 16) in 2023. He continued to be a big play producer, notching 16 (No. 2) Breakaway Runs and was second in the league in rush yards with 1,167. Henry was traded to the Ravens in the 2023, and signed to a a two-year, $16 million contract.
