TreVeyon Henderson has been a pesky fantasy option in his rookie year. He was dynamic in the summer, which forced his ADP to steadily rise through the teeth of draft season. But Henderson was afforded a small role to open the year, ceding carries to several teammates. In his first eight games, he only had one week with double-digit fantasy points.
But maybe the genie is finally exiting the bottle. Henderson has his much-awaited breakout in Sunday’s win at Tampa Bay, rolling up 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Most of the juice came on two long scores, covering 55 and 69 yards. Although each play was called as an interior run, he was able to burst to the second level — the first play was mostly about great blocking, the second play a testament to Henderson’s instinct, as he broke the run outside. When the 1 p.m. ET window closed, Henderson was sitting as the fantasy’s RB3.
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Had Terrell Jennings been healthy, perhaps Henderson’s second touchdown never happens. The Patriots used Jennings in a closer role the previous week, but he suffered a knee injury against Tampa Bay. Henderson’s future role is also dependent on the status of Rhamondre Stevenson (toe), who has missed the last two weeks.
But the schedule, man, it’s a daisy. The Patriots face the Jets on Thursday, then the Bengals and Giants. Those are all top-eight matchups for fantasy running backs. After a Week 14 bye, it’s three more green lights — the Bills (seventh in RB points allowed), Ravens (fifth) and Jets (eighth). If Henderson has entered the Circle of Trust, he can be a difference-maker through the holidays and fantasy playoffs.
Other Rookie RBs of note
Sticking with rookie RBs, has Woody Marks carved something out in Houston? He managed 81 total yards and a touchdown on 16 touches Sunday, getting more work as the Texans were mostly playing catch-up (somehow they eventually caught and passed the Jaguars). Nick Chubb did make 47 yards on his five carries, but it should be noted that Marks has double-digit carries over four straight games. Gettable Tennessee and Buffalo run defenses are next up on the schedule.
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The Bears reinstated D’Andre Swift (16 touches, 98 total yards) as their featured back, though rookie Kyle Monangai retained eight opportunities and punched in a short touchdown. Swift hadn’t done anything to lose his job, and a 6.2 YPC in this start does mark some territory. But head coach Ben Johnson always liked a two-back approach in his Detroit days, and maybe this arrangement will carry a similar flow. Chicago travels to Minnesota next week.
The Browns are going to lean on Quinshon Judkins the rest of the year, if he can withstand the punishment. He had 24 touches for 85 total yards at the Jets, with no other back hitting more than two carries. Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel continues to struggle, posting a mere 5.2 YPA and taking six sacks against a Jets defense that’s been riddled with injuries, decimated by trades and generally underperforming. Judkins needs the Browns to keep up with Baltimore next week, or else it’s possible Cleveland could junk the running game.
Other Week 10 Booms
The 2-8 Saints aren’t going anywhere, but Sunday’s win at Carolina checked the right boxes. Rookie QB Tyler Shough was improved (10.4 YPA, no turnovers) and he targeted the players fantasy managers are counting on. Chris Olave posted a 5-104-1 line on a team-best eight targets, and Juwan Johnson secured all his opportunities, en route to a 4-92-1 line. Even aging running back Alvin Kamara had a useful day, collecting 25 touches and finishing with 115 total yards. Kamara could be hard to trust moving forward, but Olave is a locked-in fantasy starter the rest of the way and Johnson a possible godsend for managers who have injury or performance issues at tight end.
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Parker Washington definitely belongs in the boom ledger, though his route to production Sunday was a little quirky. You can never depend on special teams scoring — he went to the house on a 73-yard return. He also had a receiving touchdown, though a 3-33-1 line on seven targets isn’t especially efficient. Washington still has a role in Jacksonville even as the team’s WR room heels up — and as Jakobi Meyers gets acclimated — but it’s probably a low ceiling one. Sounds like a WR4 tag as we continue to navigate through bye-week season. He’s available in nearly 60% of Yahoo leagues.
The Giants are letting their backfield sort itself out on the field, and Sunday at Chicago, Tyrone Tracy Jr. was the obvious winner. His 14-71-0 rushing line pushed to the front of the line, while Devin Singletary was held to 8-20-0. Singletary did have a 41-yard reception and three catches, while Tracy’s long catch went for no gain. The schedule isn’t fun moving forward, with Green Bay, Detroit and New England up next. And it’s possible Jaxson Dart (concussion) could miss Week 11, which would lower the ceiling of the entire offense.
Other Week 10 Busts
Bijan Robinson looked ready to demolish everything in his path back in that glorious Monday night win over Buffalo in Week 6. But that world demolition tour has hit a snag since then — Robinson has zero rushing touchdowns and just one overall spike in his past four games. Robinson carried 17 times for 84 yards in the loss to the Colts in Berlin, and had two short receptions. But the Falcons farmed out 11 carries to Tyler Allgeier, and Allgeier was mostly the red-zone guy (five carries, two touchdowns). Atlanta is now on a four-game losing streak, and often it takes losing for an organization to commit to proactive change. Robinson’s utilization needs to be better if the Falcons are going to be a decent NFL offense.
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There will be some weeks the Vikings hide J.J. McCarthy and the receivers have to deal with low volume. That wasn’t the case Sunday, as McCarthy attempted 42 passes in comeback mode against Baltimore. He steered 23 targets to his two best receivers, but Justin Jefferson (4-37-0) and Jordan Addison (3-35-0) both had meager returns. I’m always going to give head coach Kevin O’Connell the benefit of the doubt, but this was a disappointing showing against a Baltimore defense that hasn’t offered much resistance all year.
The Bears secondary should be a get-well opportunity next week, so I’ll give Addison one more start. Jefferson stays in all fantasy lineups, of course.