Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor Headline the Running Back Trade Market Five Days Before the Deadline: Suitors, Prices and the Fantasy Fallout

With the NFL trade deadline set for Tuesday, November 10 at 4 p.m. ET, the two biggest names on the running back market are Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry. As of Wednesday, neither has been traded. The Colts are still asking for a first-round pick for Taylor and maintaining that they do not have to move him, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. In Baltimore, ESPN's Dan Graziano flagged Henry as a name to watch if the Ravens lose Thursday night to Jacksonville and fall to 4-5. Here is where both situations stand, who is calling and what each landing spot would do to fantasy values.

Jonathan Taylor: the price is the problem

Indianapolis has been in sell mode for two weeks. After co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard, the Colts traded All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle for a 2027 third and a 2028 fifth, and sent defensive tackle DeForest Buckner back to San Francisco. Taylor was the next logical domino, and the Colts are willing to trade him.

They are not willing to give him away. Indianapolis has already turned down an offer built around a 2027 second-round pick plus another selection, according to NBC Sports, and the team's position is that a first is the starting point. Suitors, per multiple reports, believe a second plus another asset is fair value for a running back with significant money left on his deal. That gap is the whole story. Because Taylor is under contract beyond this season, the Colts have no deadline pressure of the kind a team holding an expiring rental faces.

Teams that have shown at least some level of interest, per ESPN reporting, include the Broncos, Packers, Vikings, Giants and Seahawks. The Giants have since been reported as not seeking a rental, which fits a player under contract like Taylor, but also suggests they would rather add draft capital than spend it.

Derrick Henry: cheap money, uncertain intent

Henry's case is different. Graziano described himself as unsure how realistic a Henry trade is, and framed it as something Baltimore could consider only if Thursday goes badly. The reason the idea exists at all is the contract: the Ravens already paid Henry $14 million in bonuses this year, which leaves only a $1.255 million base salary for an acquiring team to absorb. His $12 million salary for 2027 is not guaranteed, so a buyer could treat him as a pure rental.

The counterweight is that the Ravens are actively finalizing a trade for quarterback Jacoby Brissett, which signals a front office that still wants to compete. A team buying a quarterback is rarely also selling its most productive offensive player in the same week. Treat a Henry trade as a tail outcome that becomes more plausible only if Baltimore is blown out Thursday.

The Giants, Vikings and Seahawks have been mentioned as possible fits in speculative reporting, though one report described a deal as unlikely unless something dramatic happens. Minnesota has reportedly looked around at running backs without wanting to take on significant money, and Henry's low remaining salary fits that description better than Taylor's contract.

Landing spots and fantasy impact

Here is how the most-mentioned destinations would affect each player's rest-of-season value.

Denver is the most fantasy-relevant spot for Taylor. The Broncos just watched rookie Jonah Coleman seal a comeback win over Kansas City, but a Taylor trade would push Coleman back into a complementary role and make Taylor a locked-in RB1 in a run-heavy offense. Coleman managers should know this is the single biggest threat to his value.

Seattle has struggled to run the ball after losing Kenneth Walker III in free agency, which is exactly why it traded for Nelson. Either back would walk into a lead role behind an upgraded interior line, and Henry in particular would fit a downhill scheme. Any current Seattle running back would lose value immediately.

Green Bay would turn Taylor into the early-down hammer next to an offense led by Jordan Love, currently the league's leading passer. Taylor would stay an RB1, and the efficiency upside could be the highest of any landing spot.

The Giants are the trickiest fit. Cam Skattebo is the lead back when healthy, but he is fighting a hamstring injury. Adding either Taylor or Henry would create a committee that hurts Skattebo's ceiling more than it helps the newcomer, at least until Skattebo is fully healthy.

Minnesota would make Henry a short-term RB2 with goal-line upside and would cut directly into the workload of the Vikings' current backfield.

The Verdexed angle

Fantasy managers should approach the next five days with two rules. First, do not sell Taylor in a panic. If he stays in Indianapolis, his volume is safe on a rebuilding team, and if he is traded, every likely destination keeps him in an RB1 role. His floor is stable either way.

Second, the players to worry about are the incumbents. If you roster Coleman in Denver, Seattle's current lead option, or Skattebo in New York, now is the time to make sure you also roster the handcuff, or to package that player while his role is still clean. The value of those backs can drop overnight on Tuesday afternoon.

For Henry, the bigger short-term issue is quarterback quality, not a trade. With Joe Fagnano starting Thursday and Brissett likely debuting in Week 10, Henry's floor improves once a veteran is under center.

For how the model views the Week 9 games involving these teams, see /blog/nfl-week-9-picks-2026 and the live board at /nfl/predictions.

What's next

Thursday night is the first trigger. A Ravens loss to Jacksonville would make Henry a more realistic seller's chip, while a win almost certainly takes him off the table. For Taylor, the key date is Tuesday: price standoffs at the deadline tend to break in the final 24 hours, either with a buyer meeting the ask or with the Colts deciding to keep him and revisit the market in March. Either way, check waivers Tuesday night and be ready to move.