DAY 4: HUNTER HENRY

Hunter Henry is truly an enigma at the TE position. He has above average athletic ability, can block and catch well but has yet to wow fantasy managers. Henry only played in 55 games through his 5 seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, missing a full season after tearing his ACL in 2018. He has career fantasy finishes of 16, 14, 9 and 13, but he just hasn’t quite lived up to the promise that he showed when at Arkansas. He did set career highs this past year in targets and receptions but had a career low in yards per catch. Is this a result of injuries piling up and taking their toll on his body, or is it a case of conservative play-calling?

Henry still has the talent to produce at a top-5 TE level, but he needs to go to a team that can utilize him in the redzone more effectively. In 2020, Henry had 14 redzone targets and 6 receptions for 4 TDs. Those numbers could easily double if he goes to a team that features TE’s in their redzone offense. Henry would be better suited on a team with a young QB that is looking to establish a rapport with a playmaking TE. According to PFF, Henry is the #1 ranked free agent TE, which gives him the ability to cash in despite the WR heavy market. Henry will be looking for the most money possible and may be willing to take part in a rebuild or relaunching of a team.

For these reasons, the two teams Henry should go to would be the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals. On Thursday, April 29th, the Jaguars will shock no one with their selection of Clemson’s QB Trevor Lawrence. Part of this rebuild comes with giving your rookie QB the best chance to succeed, and part of that steppingstone includes a reliable TE. When Henry is on the field, he is productive, but he still has room to improve. The Jaguars have the most cap space in the NFL, and that comes with having a depleted roster that needs improvement everywhere. Not every dollar will go into offense, but this is a solution that is cheaper than most while still improving the team in the run and pass game.

The next team is the Cincinnati Bengals, and they can also offer some relief to their #1 overall pick QB Joe Burrow. Burrow, who will be coming off season-ending knee surgery, would be thankful to add more pass catchers who can succeed near the line of scrimmage. Henry could come in and mesh well with Tee Higgins and potentially Drew Sample to give them two good receiving TE options. The Bengals have the 6th most cap space and could also improve in most areas of their team.