Countdown to Kickoff: 24 Days

Derrick Henry was targeted just 24 times in the pass game last year, which creates debate about the NFL rushing champ's fantasy value.

The countdown to kickoff continues.

The Tennessee Titans will open the 2020 regular season Sept. 14 at Denver. That is 24 days away. So, today we look at one way the number 24 figures into the team’s recent history.

It is possible that no player is debated more vigorously in fantasy football circuits than Derrick Henry. And with good reason.

At a time when many running backs are heavily involved in the passing game, Henry was targeted just 24 times last season.

That was a career-high for the 2016 second-round pick out of Alabama, but there were 48 running backs across the league who had more passes thrown their way. Included among that group was Henry’s former teammate, Dion Lewis, who was targeted 32 times despite the fact that he played just a little more than one-third of the Titans’ offensive snaps.

By comparison, Christian McCaffrey – the gold standard for modern, multi-faceted running backs – was the intended receiver on 142 throws by the Carolina Panthers. Three others were targeted at least 100 times.

Henry was on the field for 589 offensive snaps in 2019, which means the ball was thrown to him once every 24.5 snaps. Of course, he led the NFL with 303 rushes and 1,540 rushing yards, and he tied for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns. That is where his value to fantasy football owners lies.

And give him credit for this much: Of the 53 running backs who were targeted 24 times or more last season, Henry’s 11.4 yards-per-reception average was second and his 8.58 yards-per-target average was third. He had a 75-yard touchdown reception in the opener, a 23-yard touchdown catch against Carolina and two other pass plays that went for more than 15 yards.

So, it is not that Henry is useless as a pass receiver. He simply is not used as often as many others – and fantasy football owners are left to figure out what that means to his value.