Los Angeles Rams running back Darrell Henderson is in the midst of a breakout fantasy football season in 2021. Henderson has been out since Week 13, though, as he’s dealing with a thigh injury. He was placed on the COVID list as well, but the Rams’ game was moved to Tuesday night. Will that give him enough time to play against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15?
Update 12/21/21: Darrell Henderson is officially active and will play tonight for the Rams.
Darrell Henderson’s 2021 production
Henderson’s dealt with injuries this season, but he played a massive role when healthy. He was on the field for 60% or more of the snaps in each of his healthy games. He also topped out as high as 94% earlier this season. Henderson posted 648 yards and 5 touchdowns on 142 carries through 10 games. Additionally, he totaled 27 receptions for 172 yards and 3 scores on 38 targets.
The Rams running back currently ranks as the RB21 in PPR leagues on the season. With that said, Henderson ranks as the RB15 on a per-game basis. He has the lead role in one of the best offenses in the NFL, and he should continue to find success as long as he’s playing the majority of the snaps.
Is Henderson playing today?
Henderson has multiple factors working against him this week. His initial roadblock was COVID, as he missed last week on the protocol list after testing positive on December 11.
The Rams activated Henderson on December 18, and he’s available to play if healthy.
The second factor working against him is the thigh injury that cost him a Week 13 outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s had weeks to get healthy, though, and it looks as if Henderson will have a role on Tuesday night.
Sony Michel’s quietly performed well in recent games, as he’s taken on a workhorse role for Los Angeles. Henderson could end up splitting carries with Michel as the Rams ease him back into the rotation.
Who benefits if he sits?
If Henderson isn’t able to suit up in this game, Michel would be the biggest beneficiary. The latter has played well as the RB1 without Henderson in the lineup, playing 74%, 97%, and 100% of the offensive snaps in the last three contests.
In those games, Michel averaged 95.7 yards and 0.3 touchdowns on 23.3 touches per game. He isn’t the most versatile or efficient running back in the NFL, but Michel would make a great fantasy option on volume alone.
With Henderson likely to play this week, these two will presumably split snaps to some degree. Henderson should see a larger snap share, but I’d expect it to be somewhat close to 60/40. Michel won’t make a great option in terms of fantasy, while Henderson would lose some of the appeal that he had prior to his injury.