Darrell Henderson Fantasy Outlook Improving as Rams' Starting RB

Coming into the season, many people expected rookie running back Cam Akers to take lead the Los Angeles Rams' committee backfield. After an impressive 2-touchdown performance in Week 1, it seemed like it was Malcolm Brown's backfield to lose instead.

However, after back-to-back strong showings from second-year player Darrell Henderson, he seems to be the Rams' running back to own in fantasy football moving forward.

?Fantasy Alert?

Sean McVay says "I think so" when asked if RB Darrell Henderson will start Sunday based on his performance the last 2 weeks. "He’s a slash type runner, but he’s physical...I think the more that he plays & the more he’s available, the better he’s going to get."
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) September 29, 2020

Darrell Henderson Fantasy Outlook

Henderson has been the Rams' healthiest running back this season and has capitalized on his recent uptick in touches by posting a combined 195 rushing yards on 32 carries with 2 touchdowns in the past two games. Henderson played 50 percent of the offensive snaps in a Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, while Brown played 48 percent, suggesting a split backfield.

However, the split wasn't nearly as close as the snaps might have you believe, as Henderson received 13 more carries than Brown did, also seeing more work in the redzone. Even if Akers returns soon, Henderson has shown he has what it takes to be a lead back. He has averaged 5.74 yards per carry so far this season, which ranks No. 8 in the NFL.

114 rushing yards.

First ?+ yard game for @DarrellH8 ? pic.twitter.com/eWH1I3V1rW
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 28, 2020

This backfield is still anyone's guess on how it will play out for the rest of the season, but Henderson's outlook is a lot brighter than it was a few weeks ago. He should be owned in across all league formats and considered at least a borderline FLEX play moving forward.

In fact, if the Rams continue to increase his touches and fully commit to him being the lead running back, he could reach low-end RB2 numbers by the end of the season.

His Week 4 outlook is especially strong with the Rams sitting as massive favorites against the New York Giants. Henderson checks in at No. 27 among running backs in our Week 4 fantasy football rankings.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.