Derrick Henry Climbs to 6th All-Time — and He's Still Your RB Engine
Henry is set to jump from 10th to 6th on the career rushing list by season's end, coming off 1,595 yards and 16 TDs in 2025. Here's the fantasy read.
RB8 in our ranks with 16 rushing TDs last year — you don't move off that.
- Set to move 10th to 6th on all-time rushing list
- Passed Marcus Allen into 3rd in career rush TDs
- 1,595 rush yds, 16 rush TD in 2025 (17 games)
- Our RB8, No. 25 overall in 2026 ranks
- 1,921 rush yds in 2024 — best ever for a 30+ RB
Derrick Henry is about to rewrite another line in the record book. Barring injury, he'll leapfrog from 10th all the way to 6th on the NFL's career rushing list by the end of this season, and he just passed Hall of Famer Marcus Allen into third all-time in rushing touchdowns. For a guy people keep calling 'ageless,' the resume keeps getting younger.
The numbers behind the hype are real. Henry ran for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns across 17 games in 2025, and the year before that he posted 1,921 yards — the best rushing season ever for a back over 30. He's one of only nine players in league history to crack 2,000 yards in a single season. This isn't nostalgia; it's ongoing production.
The GOAT Conversation
CBS analyst and former lineman Terron Armstead recently argued that we're underselling Henry in the all-time debate — that he deserves to be in the greatest-of-all-time conversation, not just the Hall of Fame one. Armstead's point was that Henry lacks the flashy, shifty highlight reel of a Barry Sanders or a Gale Sayers, so the sustained, year-after-year production gets overlooked.
Where does he actually stand? He's firmly in the top-10 discussion, slotting behind legends like Emmitt Smith (the career leader with 18,355 yards and 164 rushing TDs), Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson and O.J. Simpson. Henry probably still has ground to cover before he's undeniably at the summit — but the trajectory is pointed straight up, which is unusual for a back his age.
The Fantasy Fallout
For your roster, the takeaway is simple: Henry is still an engine. He's our RB8 and No. 25 overall in the 2026 rankings, coming off 280 PPR points in 2025 (actual). Even better, his recent form is trending up — he's averaged four fantasy points above his season baseline over his last five games, so the age-related decline everyone keeps predicting hasn't shown up on the field.
Bottom line: hold and start with total confidence. A 16-touchdown floor from 2025 and a real shot at the 6th spot on the all-time list means Henry remains a weekly RB1. If a nervous manager in your league is trying to sell him on 'he's got to slow down eventually,' quietly buy the discount instead.
