Hunter Henry Fantasy Football Outlook & Value 2019

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Position Ranking- TE8, ADP- 6.02, Auction Value ($200)- $10, Team- LAC, BYE- 12

A popular pick for breakout player of the year last year, those hopes were dashed when Hunter Henry went down with a torn ACL that essentially held him out the entire season. The Los Angeles Chargers still went on to have a successful season, reaching the playoffs before bowing out in the divisional round, but their tight end production was lacking. Henry will be looking at the comeback player of the year award this season, as he hopes to build on the positive momentum he had at the end of the 2017 season.

Chargers' Hunter Henry prime candidate for Comeback Player of the Year https://t.co/llH4xeAuL3

— Chargers Wire (@TheChargersWire) May 12, 2019

 

Henry is a tall, physical tight end that is effective not just in the pass game, but in the run game as a blocker. He quickly developed a connection with Phillip Rivers in his rookie season, scoring 8 touchdowns. Coming into this season, he should be the undisputed starter. Antonio Gates has a high chance of retiring and Virgil Green proved to be uninspiring in place of Henry. The Chargers are a pretty stacked team that will be looking to make a run at the championship, and they’ll be hoping Henry proves to be the missing piece they were lacking last year.

FPTS 2018	Tier	GP	REC	SNP/G	TGT/G	YDS	YDS/REC	100+ YDS	TD	Yahoo PTS/G
104.4	2	14	45	44	4.4	579	12.9	0	4	7.4

Upside

Despite his age, Phillip Rivers is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His skill and veteran experience should help Henry fully recover from the ACL tear (he knows a thing or two about ACL injuries). It also helps that, after Tyrell Williams departure, there’s a vacant spot open in the Chargers offense for a third receiver to step up. The Chargers didn’t look for any receivers in free agency, indicating that they must have a high amount of faith in Henry to step up and fill the void. Henry is still extremely young and oozing with potential, and the Chargers will try their best to get him to reach it this year. His ceiling is 800 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Floor

ACL injuries are never easy to recover from, and though new medical technology has helped the process, there’s still a chance that Henry never reclaims his previous form. There’s also the worry that Rivers might fall off the cliff this season. As talented as he is, father time is undefeated, and it has to come for Rivers sooner or later. If River’s drop off happens this season, the entire Chargers offense will be negatively affected, Hunter Henry included. If Henry can’t shake off the rust and Rivers begins to decline, it could result in a very disappointing season for Henry. His floor is a 400 yard, 2 touchdown season.

What to Expect

Hunter Henry is currently ranked as the 8th best tight end and has an auction value of $10. He’s expected to be drafted in the 6th round. This value isn’t bad or good for Henry, it’s just ok. Paying $10 for a solid TE2 with a little TE1 potential is by no means a bad deal, but it loses some luster when considering that superior players are available for cheaper. Eric Ebron, Austin Hooper, and Kyle Rudolph are all tight ends that cost less and are all likely to produce as much if not more than Henry. If you’re really high on Henry there’s no harm in getting him, just know there are better bargains out there.

Henry, provided he can stay healthy, should bring a spark to the Chargers offense. I don’t think Rivers falls off a cliff this year, but there’s no denying it’ll come sooner than later. The Chargers window is open now, but it’s probably not going to stay open for very long, something they’re probably aware of. They’re really counting on Henry to step up and become the third guy in the passing game. I think he’ll mostly meet those expectations and end up having a solid if unspectacular season of 700 yards and 5 touchdowns.