Derrick Henry has been pushing hard to return to the Tennessee Titans for the postseason. With a win today, they can clinch a first-round bye and top the AFC. But what is Henry’s injury status? Is he ready to return ahead of the Titans’ Week 18 matchup against the Houston Texans? If he’s not, is D’Onta Foreman viable for fantasy football managers in Henry’s absence?
Is Derrick Henry ready to return today vs. Houston?
The Titans officially did not activate Henry this week from IR, meaning he is not eligible to play today against Houston. In Week 8, Henry left the Titans’ game against the Colts with an apparent foot injury, which has since cost him the remainder of the regular season.
However, as he gets closer and closer to a return, the Titans can do themselves a huge favor with a win today. Beating the Texans means Tennessee finishes at the top of the AFC, and as a result, would receive a first-round bye.
That bye is always favorable, but when one of the best talents in the league is trying to fight his way back to fitness, avoiding Wild Card Weekend would be monumental.
Doing so would mean Henry has a whole extra week to practice and get back to his best before the Titans take the field again in the Divisional Round.
D’Onta Foreman is set for another strong fantasy performance
The unsung hero for the Titans is Foreman. Tennessee plays a run-first style of football. The run game allows them to open up the pass, affording Ryan Tannehill room to work with his receivers. We have seen many times before that with no run game, the Titans struggle. But above all other options the Titans have worked through — including veteran Adrian Peterson — Foreman has been the standout.
In the Titans’ system, doing his best to emulate Henry’s production, Foreman has flourished. He’s only carried the football 10+ times on four occasions this season. But in three of those games, he has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark. He is averaging 4.16 yards per carry, which includes a tough day against the 49ers in Week 16, where a 1.89 ypc hurt his season average.
Foreman has 3 touchdowns on the season, which have all come in the last four games. I’d expect to see him find pay dirt once again today against the Texans and have himself a big game helping the Titans claim the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Even with Henry returning to the lineup, I think the Titans have found their RB2. Foreman has shown he can go to work in this offense, and he could give Tennessee a very solid option when Henry needs a couple of reps to gather his breath.