Who Should I Start? Derrick Henry or Javonte Williams

Thursday, January 29, 5:01 PM

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry had some issues with ball security and inconsistency in 2025, but overall he remained a highly productive player. Across 17 games, Henry recorded 307 carries for 1,595 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Going into 2026, Henry will be entering his age-32 season with more than 2,800 career regular-season touches under his belt. Traditional aging curves indicate that Henry is long overdue for a decline in production. Additionally, his PPR fantasy value remains limited by his lack of production as a receiver, as he recorded just 15 receptions for the season in 2025. However, Henry may be enough of a physical outlier that he can continue to stave off father time. He will also presumably get the benefit of playing a full season next to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who missed time in 2025 due to multiple injuries. As long as he makes it through the offseason healthy, Henry profiles as a high-end running back option for 2026. In dynasty formats, Henry's long-term outlook is murkier due to his age.

Monday, February 2, 8:42 AM

Dallas Cowboys club officials have held preliminary contract-extension talks with pending free-agent running back Javonte Williams, but talks are on hold until Williams finalizes hiring an agent, according to The Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins. The Cowboys have already made it clear that re-signing Williams will be a top priority this offseason after he had a career year in his first season in Dallas in 2025. After four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Williams set career highs across the board with the Cowboys, carrying the ball 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 starts. He added 35 receptions on 51 targets for 137 yards and two more scores. Williams finished as the RB11 in half-PPR scoring as Dallas' unquestioned lead back all year long. He finished the year on Injured Reserve due to a shoulder injury, but Williams should be fully healthy by the start of the 2026 campaign. If he returns to Dallas, which is expected, the 25-year-old will be a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 target in fantasy.