Travis Henry - 4 Votes for being underrated
Mike Brown - Henry leaves a volatile situation in Tennessee, where no one knew on a given week who the actual starter was long-term (between Henry,
Chris Brown, and rookie
LenDale White). He enters about as good a situation as a running back could possibly wish for with the Broncos. Denver has proven repeatedly that whoever they choose to run for them is going to put up some big numbers. It doesn't have to be potential Hall of Famers like Terrell Davis or
Clinton Portis, either. It could be bruisers like
Mike Anderson or converted fullbacks, such as
Reuben Droughns was. Henry has one of the better track records of anyone who is going TO the Broncos from another team during the Shanahan era. Whether that means he puts up better numbers than any of them remains to be seen; but he's certainly got the opportunity to do so.
Aaron Rudnicki - After being forgotten about by most, Henry had a great comeback season last year with the Titans. He parlayed that success into a large contract with the Broncos, a team with a long history of churning out productive runners. Henry gives the Broncos the most talented RB they've had since they traded
Clinton Portis. He figures to get a heavy workload, including goal-line duties, and should have little trouble finishing among the top-10 RBs if he stays healthy.
Mark Wimer - Henry is positioned to be "the" Bronco back, after last year's flirtation with running back by committee contributed to the failure of Denver to penetrate the playoffs. Guys like Terrell Davis and
Clinton Portis were fantasy monsters when featured in Denver -- Henry would seem to be a lock for top 10 fantasy production in that role. He's a bargain at his current ADP of 14th fantasy RB selected.
Jason Wood - The Denver Broncos have been using a committee approach in recent years. But don't confuse the situation, Mike Shanahan very much prefers to have one workhorse back. Why else do you think also-rans like
Mike Anderson and
Olandis Gary notched 1,000-yard seasons? If you look at the Broncos RB situation in aggregate, they remain one of the most productive units. As a team, the Broncos were 9th in attempts, 8th in yards and 9th in yards per rush a season ago. This year, Shanahan moved decisively to bring in Travis Henry via free agency, and locked him up to a big, multi-year contract. He also traded away
Tatum Bell. Make no mistake; Travis Henry is set to be the Broncos workhorse. Historically, RBs have notched almost a full yard more per rush in Denver than they have at other spots during their career. Even if Henry settles for half of the average improvement, he's going to average 4.6 yards per rush and is a surefire bet for 300+ carries. Mark this down; if Henry stays healthy he will rush for 1,400+ yards and double digit TDs. That's worth a lot more than RB15, his current ADP.