Those who have played fantasy football for a long time might remember a few mighty Tennessee Titans of yesteryear delivering one of the more shocking playoff stretch runs for previously non-relevant players. It was back in 2004, and a bad Titans team, having lost quarterback Steve McNair to injury, turned to backup Billy Volek and wide receiver Drew Bennett for excitement, and a ridiculous stretch of fantasy scoring resulted. Volek, over a three-game stretch to start December, scored 12 touchdowns and averaged 395 passing yards, while Bennett scored eight touchdowns and averaged 172 receiving yards. The Titans lost each game and the fun was over by Week 16, but oh, what a great run it was.
Current Titans running back Derrick Henry is certainly not as anonymous as Volek/Bennett, players who were relevant in fantasy neither prior to that stretch nor thereafter. Henry was supposed to be very good as a punishing, bulldozer of a physical runner and second-round draft pick from Alabama in 2016. However, Henry disappointed for his first two-plus seasons, and fantasy managers lost interest. It was understandable. Through 12 games this season, Henry scored 95.5 PPR points -- a figure topped by 38 running backs, including Seattle's Mike Davis, Cleveland's Duke Johnson and Tampa Bay's Peyton Barber -- and failed to reach 60 rushing yards in a contest. He had chances.
Well, things have clearly changed. Henry embarrassed the Jacksonville Jaguars on the Thursday of Week 14 for 238 yards and four touchdowns, a ridiculous 47.8 PPR points, and left fantasy managers to wonder if the outing was aberrant. Many stuck with him, because he was active in 51 percent of ESPN standard leagues this weekend, barely in the top 20. On Sunday, the Titans went to New Jersey to face a bad New York Giants team that had permitted the sixth-most PPR points to running backs, and Henry had another monster game, rushing 33 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns, a cool 30.2 PPR points.
According to ESPN Stats & Information data, Henry has 238 rushing yards after contact the past two games after accruing 273 yards the first 12 games. Colleague Tristan H. Cockcroft reports that the most recent player to reach 30-plus PPR points in Weeks 14-15 of a season was Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014. Henry scored 95.5 PPR points in 12 games, then scored 78 points in the next two. Yep, that is fantasy football. By the way, also according to Cockcroft, Henry's 78 PPR points are the fifth-most in a Week 14-15 period since 1990. Bennett's 94.3 points are first.
Many of us were hesitant to lift Henry to safe RB2 status for this week. After all, he looked so average for most of 43 career games prior to the Jaguars contest, and actually saw fewer touches and snaps than teammate Dion Lewis in that game. The Giants are not good but still, the ESPN fantasy staff ranked Lewis a bit better. Lewis earned 10 touches Sunday and turned them into 44 yards. The Titans, still in the AFC playoff hunt, head home for games against the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts, and while each of those defenses ranks in the middle for permitting fantasy points to running backs, perhaps it does not matter. How can we not view Henry as an RB2 for these games?
The Titans are not much of a passing squad, entering the week 29th in the NFL in passing yards, ahead of Seattle, Buffalo and Arizona, and Marcus Mariota did not help things by throwing for 88 yards -- total -- in the New Jersey rain Sunday. Still, it is hard to imagine much has changed here. Henry is the same player he was in Week 13 when he turned his 10 rushing attempts into 40 yards against the beleaguered New York Jets. Lewis is healthy. Perhaps the weather, and the fact the Giants were little threat to score, dictated the 33 rushing attempts Sunday. The Jaguars game was unexplainable.
Sure, I will rank Henry ahead of Lewis in Week 16 and barely in the top 20, but no, I am not expecting greatness again and nobody should. For one, it is tough for any running back who is not a factor in the passing game to rock in PPR formats. Just ask Jordan Howard. In addition, Lewis remains a factor, and in a more "normal" game, which Sunday against the Giants was not, he should see more snaps. Regardless, those mighty Titans of 2004 stopped carrying fantasy managers in Week 16. That is hardly proof that Henry's brief dominance will cease as well, but it is tough to see what has really changed here. Be prepared.
Second down: Frankly, it is easier to be more impressed by what Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook achieved Sunday in turning his 20 touches into 163 yards and two touchdowns, because most of us have felt that Cook is on the verge of consistent greatness and perhaps RB1 status. Cook looked great his first month as a rookie before shredding a knee, and fantasy managers invested highly for this season. Henry was a fifth-round choice; Cook went in Round 2. Henry played each week but did little; Cook dealt with hamstring problems the first few months. However, things are good now. Cook has topped 16 PPR points in four consecutive games and he catches passes. He looks healthy, especially in the open field, and he could earn top-10 status in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions.
Staying in the NFC North for running-back talk, those relying on Green Bay Packers star Aaron Jones got 0.8 PPR points before a knee injury ended his day. Jones rushed four times for 8 yards, this coming off a stretch in which he had eclipsed 15 PPR points and scored a touchdown in five consecutive games. A road game at the Chicago Bears was not going to be easy, but still, Jones was seeing plenty of volume until injury got in the way. Health can be the great and unfortunate equalizer in fantasy sports. Fantasy managers will wonder if Jones and quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play in future games, as the latter hurt his groin on the final play of the first half, and looked set back afterward. The Packers are not postseason-bound, so it could be DeShone Kizer handing off to Jamaal Williams the final two games.
Third down: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson continued his fine play, with 16.7 PPR points against the Buccaneers. No, it was not the top quarterback performance of the day, but Jackson is consistent, which is a lot to ask from a rookie. He became the first quarterback to rush for more than 70 yards in five consecutive games, and they happen to be the first five he has started. Jackson is modest threat throwing the ball, averaging 146 passing yards in his five starts, and that caps his fantasy ceiling, but the floor is good. Fantasy managers can win with him. Among running, rookie quarterbacks, I still prefer Buffalo Bills starter Josh Allen, because his game is far more rounded and he rushed for another score Sunday, both for the remaining weeks and beyond, but we can agree each is worthy of attention.
As for Dallas Cowboys starter Dak Prescott, the addition of Amari Cooper has certainly helped him to produce reasonable fantasy numbers of late, but not in Indianapolis on Sunday. Prescott scored 6.2 points, while Cooper caught four passes for 32 yards in the shutout loss. Sunday was not a particularly good statistical day for any of the NFC East teams -- pending the Eagles' Sunday night game in Los Angeles against the Rams -- and that is a reminder this is not a good division. Prescott and Cooper should bounce back in Week 16 against the Buccaneers, but only Cooper is a guaranteed fantasy play.
Fourth down: Speaking of Allen and the Bills, wide receiver Robert Foster caught four passes for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Lions, the fourth time in five games he has reached 94 yards. Who is this? Foster is an undrafted rookie out of Alabama who caught two passes the first nine weeks and then opportunity arose as Kelvin Benjamin and others moved on. Allen can throw downfield and Foster can really run, and combined with possession option Zay Jones, this should make for an interesting passing game next season. No, really. The Bills ran out of running backs Sunday and will need to upgrade for 2019 -- sorry, LeSean McCoy -- but with a decent defense and talented rookie quarterback, things are looking better.
As for a veteran wide receiver making news, the Seattle Seahawks and fantasy managers have not been able to rely on Doug Baldwin this season thanks to knee, groin and hip injuries. Baldwin, who was the No. 17 wide receiver in ESPN average live drafts but entered this weekend 69th in PPR points at his position, suited up Sunday and matched his season touchdown total with a pair of scoring grabs from Russell Wilson. Fantasy managers cannot be sure Baldwin plays in future weeks, but will need to consider him a WR3/flex choice for Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs if he does.