5 Reasons Why Derrick Henry Could be the Fantasy MVP for December

Everything you need for Week 13 in fantasy football, including who to play and who to sit

Author:: Christopher Walsh
Publish date:: Dec 4, 2020

While the NFL regular season is chugging along into the final stretch, seemingly impervious to how many players have been sidelined for either testing positive for the coronavirus or due to contact tracing, most fantasy leagues are either starting or closing on the playoffs.

December brings a different kind of approach in general, as some young players take advantage of opportunities and put themselves into position to claim starting jobs, while teams vying for the Super Bowl have been known to hold back some of their star players.

Regardless, former Alabama running back Derrick Henry might be the most valuable player in fantasy for the month of December.

Here are five reasons why:

1] Henry has a chance to win the league rushing title for a second straight year. He has 1,257 yards and is being pushed by Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings with 1,130 rushing yards. The last player to successfully defend his rushing title was LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006-07.

2] The Titans don't give the ball away. They have the league's fewest giveaways with five.

3] The schedule. The Titans close against the Browns, at Jaguars, vs. Lions, at Packers and at Texans. They should be able to grind out at least four wins if they keep feeding Henry the ball.

4] The weather. Cold-weather games usually mean more rushing and less passing.

5] The 2,000-yard club. Henry is averaging 114.3 yards per game, putting him on a pace for 1,828.5 rushing yards. The last two weeks he's had 133 and 178 yards, respectively, so he's on an incline in terms of production. He needs to average 148.6 to reach 2,000. Only seven running backs have done that, with Eric Dickerson holding the single-season record with 2,105 yards in 1985.

Check out the SI cover story: Analyzing the Old School Style of Play of Titans Running Back Derrick Henry