No big surprise, but the Titans have ruled out DeMarco Murray for this weekend. He tore a knee ligament in their Week 15 game.
Mike Mularkey made the decision today. So it will be Derrick Henry in essentially a full-time role on Sunday. He was on the field for all but 2 of their 70 offensive plays against Kansas City.
I’m not a big Henry fan. He has some issues in the passing game as both a receiver and in protection. He also at times doesn’t seem to be quick enough – he issues with changing direction. He’s also facing a defense that’s allowed 24 TD passes but only 6 TD runs – Patriots don’t tend to let teams score rushing touchdown.
But if and when he gets in the open field, he’s capable of ripping off big chunks of yardage. He’s scored 2 touchdowns on runs over 70 yards, and he scored a 66-yard touchdown on a short catch against the Jaguars.
For this week, there’s only one running back that I actually like – LeVeon Bell. After that (in my mind) it’s pretty much a crapshoot involving backs like Alvin Kamara, Devonta Freeman, Leonard Fournette, Latavius Murray, Mark Ingram and Dion Lewis.
Given the way he’ll be used, Henry seems to be about as good as any of the running backs in that tier.
—Ian Allan