A Legend to Replace a Legend
Derrick Henry is out with a foot injury and the Titans have signed Adrian Peterson to fill in per Adam Schefter.
Peterson has been waiting on a call after failing to capitalize on workouts he’s had with several teams throughout the season. He just had a fantasy-relevant season coming off of 156/604/7 rushing and 12/101 receiving with the Detroit Lions. We’ll look at the impact and value of the 14-year vet on the fantasy season.
A Team Still in the Hunt
The Titans are leading their division with a 6-2 record and look to continue their pace despite losing their best player. It’s hard to see them doing that with Adrian Peterson. It’s safe to say that the Titans have been successful because of Derrick Henry. A.J. Brown has only been truly back for the last two weeks and Julio Jones has been non-existent when healthy and has caused the entire aerial attack to fall well below expectations. Couple that with the atrocious defense and you have to wonder if Tennessee is the worst six-win team in the league. Peterson simply isn’t Derrick Henry, who was on pace for another historic season. Don’t get me wrong, Peterson is a legend in his own right, but is no longer the animal he was for the Vikings and shouldn’t be overhyped. He only averaged 3.87 yards a carry with the Lions last season and that should give you a benchmark for his efficiency. You’re looking at a touchdown-dependent short-term option that would only be useful for contending teams needing a plugin while they wait on injured players to return for the fantasy playoffs.
Redraft Impact
I would be blowing most of my FAAB if I was a contending Derrick Henry owner without the depth to compensate. If not, I’m willing to spend 60+ percent to either help pad my own team, play keep away from another contender, or pick up to trade for depth elsewhere. Peterson will likely be a touchdown-dependent flex option the rest of the season. The old vet will likely split some time with Jeremy McNichols, who will likely get more work both as a receiver and as a runner. It’s hard to project Peterson getting third-down and two-minute-drill work as much with McNichols around and it caps his upside, but he’s still worth the pickup.
Dynasty Impact
Nothing else needs to be said about his production and it’s clear that his impact is only for this season but in dynasty you can turn your FAAB into a draft pick. It’s a no-brainer that you should pick him up as a contender, but everyone else should be picking him up and you should be trying to get whatever future pick you can out of him.
Value Estimation
Blow your Dynasty FAAB and try to get a 3rd rounder from a contending team and build for the future.
Depressed about losing Henry for the season? Vent with me on Twitter @SportsJag
