4 reasons the Buffalo Bills should avoid trading for Derrick Henry
By Kevin Devine
Running backs age very quickly
There used to be a well-known rule in fantasy football to avoid running backs after the age of 30, or after they had run for a career high in carries. Data now shows that that age might be far too late, with running backs peaking earlier, and most top running backs in the league being 27 or younger.
Running backs also tend to trend downward quicker if they have been given more than 150 carries per year. Henry’s carries per year are as follows:
- 2017: 176
- 2018: 215
- 2019: 303
- 2020: 378
- 2021: 219
- 2022: 349
Henry is now 29 years old and has averaged a ridiculous 273.3 carries per year over the past 6 years. He is quickly approaching an age when even once in a generation athletes hit a wall. Looking at his carry trend leads to the second concern the Bills should have before trading for Henry: