Derrick Henry is set to miss the rest of the 2021 NFL regular season after undergoing surgery on his injured foot. The Titans added veteran free-agent running back Adrian Peterson shortly after the news broke.
With Henry's backup Jeremy McNichols already on the roster, what should prospective fantasy football managers expect from AP? Our experts weigh in below, focusing on whether Peterson is worth targeting on the waiver wire.
Editor's note: The following advice was written before the Titans also signed D’Onta Foreman to their practice squad.
Adrian Peterson Fantasy Outlook
Sean Koerner
Hopefully you were able to add AP before the waiver wire re-opened for Week 9 like I did, but in leagues that you couldn't add him until waivers run, I'd be willing to place a max FAAB bid to acquire AP if the Titans don’t trade for a running back like Melvin Gordon or Marlon Mack.
Chris Raybon
I would make AP the No. 1 waiver priority and would be willing to spend up to 50% of FAAB on him, unless we get news that the Titans are signing more backs to challenge him by Wednesday morning.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s not to doubt AP.
His yards per carry may top out in the low 4s or even high 3s, but unless something drastic changed with him this offseason, he is still capable of handling 15-20 carries per game. We saw that much last season with the Lions, when he had a 15+ carry game in each month of the season.
AP will be a game-script dependent RB2 behind a Titans offensive line that is ranked sixth in PFF's run-blocking grades (78.3) and 13th in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards (4.33).
Samantha Previte
Peterson is one of the five highest priority adds in my latest waiver wire column.
In theory, Peterson would be an immediate volume play, though head coach Mike Vrabel did indicate the team will likely turn to a committee situation, which gives me Ravens-esque vibes.
Peterson is also the preferred add over McNichols, who has been backing up Henry, but has seen only eight rushing attempts all season and is only worth an add in deep PPR leagues.
