Arguably the most intriguing backfield all offseason was that of the Los Angeles Rams. Everyone wanted a piece of that offense, but there was really no clarity around who would get the work. Cam Akers was the favorite and probably the heir apparent, but Malcolm Brown was very productive in Week 1, and Darrell Henderson ran the show in Week 2.
They’ve had quite the carousel of production over the first two weeks. After a rib injury to Akers and Malcolm Brown being a top waiver wire add in Week 1, what can we expect from Henderson going forward?
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As of this writing, there hasn’t been a clear prognosis for Akers. I imagine he’ll be questionable for the week with a decent chance to play on Sunday based on the vague reports so far. It doesn’t seem to be a long term ailment, but he may be playing at less than 100% for a bit.
Henderson was everyone’s favorite sleeper in the 2019 offseason, especially with the uncertainty and anxiety around Todd Gurley’s health status and availability. Henderson was generally worthless from a fantasy perspective in 2019, posting 184 total scrimmage yards with zero touchdowns, while Malcolm Brown had a few moments of productivity late in the season.
As for 2020, Henderson had only three touches in Week 1: three carries for 6 yards. In Week 2, presumably due to Akers’s injury, Henderson had 14 touches for 121 total scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown. It seems like the Rams will be using a pretty strict “hot hand” approach, as Malcolm Brown ran well and dominated touches in Week 1, and the same can be said of Henderson in Week 2.
The Rams seem to be a pass-first team, so I’m only expecting 25 or so carries per week for the running backs. At a pretty even split, that’s only 10-15 carries for each of Henderson and Brown, and that’s assuming Akers is unavailable. Beyond that, it doesn’t seem like either back has a stronghold on the goal-line work either, so you can’t even lean on the touchdown opportunities.
I wouldn’t rely on Henderson as a sure thing, but he can be a decent – albeit risky – FLEX option or RB2, especially considering the massive slew of injuries in Week 2. I’d imagine he will be the preferred receiving back, so I’d rather use him in games against competent opposing offenses than games that the Rams could dominate and resort to the run quickly.
If you need immediate help at the RB position, Henderson is a viable option, and he shouldn’t cost you a ton of your Free Agent Auction Budget (FAAB). If you’re looking for a championship-winning running back to use down the stretch, Henderson probably isn’t your guy. It would take a notable long-term injury to one (or both) of the other guys for me to be able to start a Rams running backs with supreme confidence on any given week. View Henderson as a plug, not a future star.
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Donald Gibson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Donald, check out his archive and follow him @DonaldGibsonFF