Javonte Williams vs Derrick Henry

“Round 5: DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI) Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams was staring me in the face, but with a FLEX spot still available in a PPR league, I couldn’t pass up DeVonta Smith .”

“Thus, I went with a fairly safe RB2 in Javonte Williams. Williams had a massive share of the running back carries last season and caught 35 passes. He’ll approach nearly 300 touches this season and is on a high-powered offense.”

“RB10 RB23 RB19 Javonte Williams RB11 RB19 RB17 Ashton Jeanty RB12 RB8 RB6 Team Success Another takeaway from last season is that while team success is ideal for increasing red-zone opportunities and valuable carries inside the five-yard line, it is not necessary to finish as a top-tier RB.”

“Biggest Differences in ADP vs Fantasy Finish RB 2025 ADP 2025 Finish Differential Javonte Williams 41 11 30 Travis Etienne Jr .”

“Javonte Williams (RB – DAL) Williams was one of the best fantasy football draft values last season. Despite being the RB36 in ADP, the former North Carolina star ended the year as the RB12, averaging 15.2 PPR fantasy points per game.”

“This, combined with the decent running game by Javonte Williams , makes taking them both at their current ADP a no-brainer.”

“Javonte Williams among RBs last season: • 896 yards after contact (6th) • 54 missed tackles forced (7th) • 11 rushing touchdowns (8th)”

“Javonte Williams was highly efficient last season, but the Cowboys were often playing from behind, so he couldn’t get to his ceiling. This season, with a full year of Quinnen Williams , along with stud rookies Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence , the Cowboys should be much improved.”

“In Javonte Williams’ first season with the Dallas Cowboys, he ran 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns, and caught 35 passes on 51 targets for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into this season, my biggest concern for Williams was the Cowboys adding another running back, but ultimately, they didn’t. The running back depth chart includes Williams, Malik Davis , Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah .”

“I'm genuinely high on Javonte Williams for redraft leagues this year. I think he's in line for a big season.”

“Javonte Williams began his career as a 21 year-old rookie challenging Melvin Gordon. He was a textbook Left-Wing Slappy player. When he popped up in Dallas last year as the ostensible starter coming off two terribly inefficient seasons, he was clearly a Right-Wing Slappy success story. Now that he's secured the RB1 job and his ADP has shot up into the 3rd round, he's clearly retained his Right-Wing status but has fallen into the boomer quadrant.”

“News out of OTAs suggests that Malik Davis is the RB2 on the depth chart behind Javonte Williams. While Williams had a great bounce-back season last year, he has struggled with injuries throughout his career.”

“Yesterday, I was speaking with Football Absurdity hair model Waleed Ismail about an auction team he mock drafted where he went heavy RB (Bijan, Hampton, Derrick Henry), and paid down at WR (Carnell Tate, Parker Washington).”

“Top-12 Drafted RBs in 2025 RB 2025 ADP 2024 Finish 2025 Games Played Bijan Robinson RB1 RB3 17 Saquon Barkley RB2 RB13 16 Jahmyr Gibbs RB3 RB4 17 Christian McCaffrey RB4 RB1 17 Derrick Henry RB5 RB7 17 Ashton Jeanty RB6 RB12 17 Josh Jacobs RB7 RB15 15 De’Von Achane RB8 RB6 16 Jonathan Taylor RB9 RB2 17 Bucky Irving RB10 RB33 10 Chase Brown RB11 RB8 17 Kyren Williams RB12 RB9 17 2025 RB Health Last season, nine out of 12 top RBs drafted finished as an RB1, resulting in a mostly chalky season at the top for RBs.”

“Overall, the increase of under-center snaps favors Derrick Henry , which poses a specific siphoning risk related to rushing TD opportunity.”

“Other skill-position players with a similar LTV include fellow veteran Derrick Henry and Sam LaPorta.”

“Baltimore now turns to head coach Jesse Minter, whose offseason reviews highlight a more explosive and creative scheme. That shift should benefit Henry's usage and the offense as a whole. The veteran's current average draft position in the middle rounds is a clear value.”

“Every season, managers expect Derrick Henry to decline, and every season he proves them wrong. Henry turned 32 in January, yet his power, durability and efficiency remain intact. He finished as the RB8 in PPR formats last year with 279.5 fantasy points and continues to play well beyond typical age curves.”

“Much like fine wine, it just seems like Derrick Henry is getting better with age. However, only the 1972 Miami Dolphins and Father Time are undefeated. King Henry is coming off a career season in which he had 27 carries in the 5-yard line. There isn't anyone challenging him on the depth chart for touches, so the only concern in 2026 is age and the departure of center Tyler Linderbaum.”

“Derrick Henry is entering his late-career danger zone, and the depth behind him is paper-thin.”

“Every season fantasy managers wonder whether Derrick Henry is finally slowing down. Jake Ciely isn't buying it. His reasoning is simple. Henry's draft cost continues to fall even though his production hasn't. Ciely also pointed out that Henry's fantasy scoring remains remarkably consistent regardless of game script, making him one of the safest veteran running backs available. At his current ADP, he's comfortable betting on Henry one more time.”

“If Lamar Jackson can bounce back, Henry could inch back closer to his 2024 production (RB4 in fantasy points per game). He's at worst a low-end RB1 with top-five upside.”

“Last year was another impressive year for Derrick Henry. He didn't show any signs of slowing down with 307 rushing attempts, 1,595 rushing yards, 16 total touchdowns, and an RB8 finish in fantasy points per game.”

“For all of his accolades as the league's most physical runner, Henry is a non-factor in Baltimore's passing game. With 20 or fewer receptions in eight of Henry's 10 NFL seasons, a sudden shift turning him into the next Christian McCaffrey or Jahmyr Gibbs is not envisioned.”