Start Derrick Henry or Braelon Allen? Week 8

Updated Oct 27, 8:01 AM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 9 answer posts Tuesday.

Start Derrick Henry over Braelon Allen

Start

Derrick Henry

RB · BAL · at BUF

Market projects: 16.0; recent weeks avg
BUF D vs RB: 27.3; 3rd most to RBs (2026)
Upside: High; 92 of 100 at RB
Snap share: 57%; Through Week 7
Target share: 6%; Through Week 7

Sit

Braelon Allen

RB · NYJ · vs LV

Market projects: 14.8; recent weeks avg
LV D vs RB: 25.4; 5th most to RBs (2026)
Upside: High; 100 of 100 at RB
Snap share: 64%; Through Week 7
Target share: 10%; Through Week 7

Should I drop Braelon Allen for Derrick Henry?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Derrick Henry projects 140 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (15.6 a game over 9 games), Braelon Allen 123 (13.7 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Derrick Henry over Braelon Allen.

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Our Week 8 call

Start Derrick Henry over Braelon Allen in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Derrick Henry at 16.0 points and Braelon Allen at 14.8, a gap of 1.2. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. No player market is posted for Derrick Henry this week yet, so his 16.0 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (15.4, 16.2 and 16.3); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Braelon Allen this week yet, so his 14.8 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (14.9, 13.8 and 15.7); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Derrick Henry at ADP 15 and Braelon Allen at 180.

What the market projects

No Week 8 player market is posted for Derrick Henry yet. His market-based projections were 15.4, 16.2 and 16.3 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 16.0, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

The market-based projection for Derrick Henry is 1.1 touchdowns (7 market sources).

No Week 8 player market is posted for Braelon Allen yet. His market-based projections were 14.9, 13.8 and 15.7 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 14.8, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

That puts Derrick Henry 1.2 points ahead of Braelon Allen on these projections.

Week 8 matchups

Derrick Henry and BAL visit BUF on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

BUF allowed 27.3 fantasy points a game to RBs this season over 6 games, the 3rd most in the league.

Running backs ran for 83 yards and a touchdown a game against BUF and caught passes for 47 more yards.

Braelon Allen and NYJ host LV on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

LV allowed 25.4 fantasy points a game to RBs this season over 7 games, the 5th most in the league.

Running backs ran for 125 yards and a touchdown a game against LV and caught passes for 37 more yards.

By points allowed to the position, Derrick Henry has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Derrick Henry is not on the injury report.

Braelon Allen is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Derrick Henry played 57 percent of BAL snaps, took 71 percent of the carries, drew 6 percent of the targets and had 51 percent of the red zone chances.

Derrick Henry, Week 4 against TEN: 40 of 64 snaps, 23 carries for 73 yards, 2 targets and 2 catches for 6 yards, 1 touchdown.

Derrick Henry, Week 5 against ATL: 42 of 76 snaps, 24 carries for 102 yards, 2 targets and 1 catch for 18 yards, 1 touchdown.

Derrick Henry, Week 6 against CLE: 33 of 57 snaps, 17 carries for 58 yards, 1 target and 1 catch for 2 yards.

Derrick Henry, Week 7 against CIN: 34 of 67 snaps, 17 carries for 45 yards, 2 targets and 1 catch for 4 yards.

Through Week 7, Braelon Allen played 64 percent of NYJ snaps, took 53 percent of the carries, drew 10 percent of the targets and had 30 percent of the red zone chances.

Braelon Allen, Week 4 against CHI: 30 of 32 snaps, 14 carries for 59 yards, 2 targets and 2 catches for 8 yards.

Braelon Allen, Week 5 against CLE: 60 of 70 snaps, 24 carries for 116 yards, 4 targets and 1 catch for 0 yards, 1 touchdown.

Braelon Allen, Week 6 against NE: 54 of 62 snaps, 17 carries for 78 yards, 2 targets and 2 catches for 26 yards.

Braelon Allen, Week 7 against MIA: 46 of 59 snaps, 17 carries for 104 yards, 7 targets and 6 catches for 30 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Derrick Henry played 17 games for BAL and scored 279.5 PPR points, 16.4 a game, finishing RB8.

He ran 307 times for 1595 yards and 16 touchdowns, and caught 15 of 21 targets for 150 yards.

He was on the field for 54 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Braelon Allen played 4 games for NYJ and scored 15.3 PPR points, 3.8 a game, finishing RB100.

He ran 18 times for 76 yards and 1 touchdown, and caught 2 of 3 targets for 17 yards.

He was on the field for 24 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 8 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 8, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Braelon Allen for Derrick Henry?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Derrick Henry projects 140 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (15.6 a game over 9 games), Braelon Allen 123 (13.7 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Derrick Henry over Braelon Allen.
Should I drop Derrick Henry for Braelon Allen?
No. Keep Derrick Henry: he projects 140 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (15.6 a game over 9 games), Braelon Allen 123 (13.7 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Derrick Henry over Braelon Allen.

Should I drop Derrick Henry?