Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry opened his tenure with the team in an optimistic way with 17 yards and a touchdown on the very first drive of the 2024 season. Since then, however, one of the bigger splash moves of the offseason hasn’t paid dividends for his team or his fantasy football managers.
Is it too early to panic?
Derrick Henry’s Early Season Struggles
Outside of that introductory drive, Henry finished Week 1’s loss in Kansas City with just 29 yards and didn’t have a single touch pick up more than 9 yards.
As poor as that performance was, the first 24 minutes of Week 2 against the Raiders were even worse:
- 5 carries
- -3 yards
On the bright side, there isn’t much in the way of competition behind Henry, so even if you’re worried, his role is seemingly safe. Justice Hill has never reached 85 rush attempts in a season, and Keaton Mitchell is still a ways away from returning, let alone taking food off the plate of an established difference-maker like Henry.
Derrick Henry is washed or is these looks difficult to run against?
Young OL in Arrowhead vs KC front is a challenge. I’m willing to give them some time to adjust and I have faith in Lamar Jackson to mitigate pressure while they figure it out. pic.twitter.com/IhyOh30eFs
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) September 6, 2024
The underwhelming counting numbers are all over the news because of the timing — these are the first two games of the season, so the annual numbers are downright embarrassing. Savvy fantasy managers, however, know that this is part of the deal.
Henry ran for under 45 yards twice in the first month of last season and, in mid-November, had consecutive games with under 40 yards (and no scores). The year prior saw him post consecutive games with under 40 rushing yards down the stretch of the season. These sorts of performances are, unfortunately, in his profile.
You can nitpick Henry all you want, but you knew what you were getting when you drafted him this summer — an elite touchdown scorer who, when he doesn’t find paydirt, can struggle to live up to expectations from a fantasy point of view.
Your fantasy team might be winless up to this point, and Henry could well be a driving force behind that, but I’m not selling him for pennies on the dollar. He’s a physical runner who has proven nearly impossible to tackle during the winter months, a trend that should be sustained this season as he gains comfort in Todd Monken’s system.
The Ravens are among the best teams in the sport and they brought in Henry to fill a valuable role to help push them over the top — stay patient.
- Week 3 at Dallas Cowboys
- Week 4 vs. Buffalo Bills
- Week 5 at Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 6 vs. Washington Commanders
Better times are ahead. Smart fantasy managers will trust the process, and those who didn’t invest in him this summer will consider throwing out a low-ball offer to a desperate manager.
