Darrell

Henderson

LA cut Henderson on Tuesday with Kyren Williams expected to return this week. Royce Freeman is in line to serve as Williams’ backup going forward, but the Rams can call Henderson up from the practice squad as an extra depth option when needed. Henderson can still be cut from fantasy rosters.

With Kyren Williams set to come off IR and serve as the Rams’ lead back, the Rams are once again cutting bait with Henderson. It appears Royce Freeman’s Week 11 performance helped him secure the backup role. It is now safe to drop Henderson from your fantasy rosters.

In what could’ve been his last go as the Rams’ lead back, Henderson was anything but that as Royce Freeman dominated the backfield touches. The Rams used Henderson as a receiving back so he was able to scrounge up some production there. With Kyren Williams set to return in Week 12, Henderson’s days of fantasy relevance may be numbered once again.

Henderson saw fewer carries than Royce Freeman but was more involved in the pass game. That didn’t amount to much with Brett Rypien starting, with Henderson’s 16 yards finishing third on the team. Henderson has played in a near-even backfield split with Freeman to this point. The Rams offense will hope to get Matthew Stafford (thumb) back following a Week 10 bye.

Henderson had been a practice squad call-up for his first two games of the 2023 season but will now be a mainstay of the active roster. He will likely serve as the backup to Kyren Williams once the second-year back comes off injured reserve. Henderson will draw the start in Week 9 against the Packers. An RB2 under normal circumstances, Henderson will be knocked into the RB3 range if Matthew Stafford is unable to suit up because of his thumb injury.

Henderson led the backfield in carries and was the Rams leading receiver in a game Matthew Stafford exited in the third quarter. He got most of his production on a 32-yard catch but was otherwise held in check, averaging 2.6 YPC. Henderson should remain the lead back in Week 9 but won’t be more than a back-end RB3.

Henderson was signed off his couch ahead of Week 7 and ended up leading the backfield in snaps and opportunities in the absence of Kyren Williams, the latter of whom remains on injured reserve for the next three games. It is unlikely Henderson sees another 20 running back opportunities against the stout Cowboys defense, but fantasy managers in a pinch could do worse than plugging Henderson into lineups this week.

Henderson went from the couch to the Rams’ snap leader in short order. The veteran running back wasn’t on a team during the preseason, and last played a regular season snap in Week 11 of last season. His 18-61-1 rushing line isn’t going to blow anybody away, but Henderson saw 10 more snaps than Royce Freeman and was the preferred option on early downs. Freeman was the better back on a per-touch basis, but it looks like Henderson will serve as the RB1 in Week 8, putting him on the RB2 radar for fantasy purposes.

Signed to the Rams’ practice squad on Tuesday, Henderson was elevated to the active roster later in the week and wound up seeing the bulk of his team’s rush attempts in his first action since Week 11 of the 2022 season. Henderson has only seen 18 or more carries in a game twice in his NFL career. Royce Freeman, also a practice squad elevation, rushed 12 times. With Ronnie Rivers and Kyren Williams on injured reserve, Henderson should draw the start and rank as a fantasy RB2 for LA’s Week 8 game against the Cowboys.

Per Schefter, Zach Evans will serve as a backup. Myles Gaskin will be inactive for Week 7 but should have the playbook under his belt by Week 8. Schefter notes that he will likely be active for that game. That means one of the other three backs, likely Freeman or Evans, will not play in Week 8 versus the Cowboys. Freeman and Henderson both have some deep RB3 value this week. Evans, despite being a popular waiver wire add this week, should not make it into fantasy lineups.