Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has been one of the best players of the 2024 season. However, the NFL‘s leading rusher entering Week 7 has been oddly quiet in the team’s Week 7 game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Below is a recap of Henry’s game.
Derrick Henry Sets Season-Low in 1st Half vs. Buccaneers
Henry had just four carries for 23 yards in the first half against the Bucs. There doesn’t appear to be any real injury, as Henry has not exited the game or received any medical attention at any point. This is almost certainly game-script and game-plan related, as odd as it may be.
It was the fewest carries Henry has received in a first half this season. Justice Hill outsnapped Henry 17-14 in the first half.
What is going on with Derrick Henry?? pic.twitter.com/P5Z54GPVqb
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 22, 2024
Hill benefits when the Ravens want to pass, and that’s who the Ravens leaned on in the first half. Baltimore also started its final drive with 2:58 remaining in the half. Hill has outsnapped Henry 67-16 in the final three minutes of a half this season.
Derrick Henry Goes Nuts in Second Half
However, the Ravens had a positive game script, leading by double digits for the entire second half. That finally led to Henry breaking through with an 81-yarder to salvage his day for fantasy managers.
DERRICK HENRY BREAKS OFF AN 81-YARD RUN.
📺: #BALvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/xXVR93t3uI— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2024
That was only the start of the fun, as Henry rolled up 146 rushing yards in the second half. That doesn’t even include a 13-yard receiving touchdown, his second receiving touchdown of the season.
LAMAR FIVE TOUCHDOWN PASSES.
This one to Derrick Henry!
📺: #BALvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/WuzSUkzG4b— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2024
Fantasy Impact of Henry’s Usage
Frankly, there shouldn’t be any real fantasy impact in the long term unless Henry is injured and the Ravens are hiding it. Henry was the RB2 overall in PPR points per game entering this week, and that’s with almost no contributions in the passing game.
The only issue is if the Ravens might be load-managing the 30-year-old back for the long run. Henry has a ton of mileage on his legs, and through Week 6, he averaged a league-high 19.8 rush attempts per game. He also took 86% of the Ravens’ rush attempts from running backs.
There’s no reason to demote Henry from his must-start true RB1 status off of a single game. But it’s worth monitoring any postgame sound from
Derrick Henry’s Rush TD Streak in Jeopardy
Henry had a receiving touchdown in this game, but he has not scored on the ground. That would be his first game of the season without a rushing touchdown.
Henry has had a rushing touchdown in all six games this season, entering the MNF game. He was seeking to become the first player since Emmitt Smith in 1994 to score a rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first seven games of a season.
Henry was the NFL’s leading rusher with 704 yards through Week 6. He also led the league with eight rushing touchdowns.
Henry was also chasing franchise history in this game vs. the Buccaneers. He’s one game shy of tying Willis McGahee’s franchise record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. McGahee had a seven-game streak back in 2007.
Ravens RB Depth Chart
Justice Hill is the only other running back on the Ravens roster to get a carry in any game this season. Hill is almost a pure passing down back, though, as he entered with 20 carries for 95 yards and 18 receptions for 171 yards.
Hill’s role would almost certainly not change regardless of Henry’s status. Even in the first half with Henry limited, Hill had only one carry for three yards.
The other running backs on the Ravens active roster are rookie fifth-rounder Rasheen Ali and undrafted rookie Chris Collier. Neither has played a single snap on offense this season, and Ali was declared out with an ankle injury for the Bucs game.
If Ali were to return to health he would likely be the top early-down back if Henry were out, but there’s no track record to go off of for either player. At that point the Ravens would likely bring in a veteran, as they did in 2021 when they were injury-depleted and played Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray, and Le’Veon Bell that season.
