Derrick Henry injury updates: The latest on Titans RB’s Week 16 status

Follow this tracker during the week for all the latest updates on the status of Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry for Week 16.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has clearly been hobbled by his hamstring injury the last two weeks, so it’s worth monitoring his status ahead of Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Follow this tracker for all the latest updates.

Sunday

Derrick Henry is inactive for the Titans.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Henry is not expected to play in Week 16.

Running backs Dion Lewis and Dalyn Dawkins will carry the load for the Titans now in Week 16, although Lewis is likely to get the lion’s share of the touches.

Saturday

Some potentially bad news has come down on Saturday, as Henry has been downgraded to questionable ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

If Henry sits out, the Titans will roll with Dion Lewis and Dalyn Dawkins at running back. For fantasy purposes, neither one has much appeal, especially against the No. 4 run defense in the NFL. If you have to choose one, Lewis is the better option.

END OF UPDATE

Friday

Henry got in a full practice on Friday and is good to go on Sunday.

Good news: Henry was back on the practice field on Friday, although it isn’t clear exactly how much he did.

We’ll see if Henry carries a designation for Sunday’s game after the official injury report is released later.

Thursday updates

Henry did not practice at all for the Titans on Thursday.

Let’s hope this is just some maintenance and that the downgrade from yesterday is not the result of a setback.

Earlier update

Henry was not spotted at the open portion of practice on Thursday.

It would appear Henry could be headed for a did not practice today, which would be a downgrade from Wednesday when he was limited. It’s possible the back is just getting a maintenance day. The official injury report should be released soon.

Wednesday updates

Henry was officially listed as limited at practice, which is an upgrade from where he was last week.

Henry was on the side doing light drills on Wednesday, which is more than he did at practice all of last week.

This most likely means he’ll be listed as limited, but we’ll get official word when the injury report is released in a little bit. Regardless, Henry appears to be on the right track to playing on Sunday.

End of Wednesday updates

Despite playing hurt the last two weeks, Henry has run for 103 and 86 yards the past two games, respectively, with one touchdown. While that is still solid production, it’s clear to the naked eye that Henry isn’t running with the same burst or power, as Titans great Eddie George pointed out.

With the Titans in the midst of a playoff race for which they are on the outside looking in on, getting Henry a much-needed week of rest will be difficult. Chances are, if he is good enough to go and still make an impact in Week 16, he’s going to play.

Now, the Titans don’t necessarily have to win their Week 16 matchup against the Saints to make the playoffs, although not doing so would give them one less avenue.

Should the Titans lose in Week 16, the AFC South will be automatically wrapped up, with the Houston Texans being the division winner. Of course, the Texans can also close it out even if the Titans beat the Saints with a win of their own over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

However, even if the Titans lose, they can still earn a wild card spot with a win over the Texans in Week 17 and a Pittsburgh Steelers loss in either of their last two games against the New York Jets or Baltimore Ravens.

It remains to be seen if that scenario will factor into what the Titans do with Henry, but I seriously doubt the Alabama product will want the week off. As he has already stated, as long as his leg isn’t falling off, he’s going to play.