Week 10 at Oakland Raiders
In Week 9, Henry led the team in air yards (105) and finished as the half PPR TE6 with seven receptions on 10 targets for 84 yards, 36% of the team targets, and 46% of the team air yards. Henry returned from an injury in Week 6 and since then he leads all tight ends in yards, air yards, targets, and receptions, per Evan Silva.
The Raiders are much better against the run than the pass. They are 11th against running backs but third-worst against wide receivers and third-worst against tight ends, per by our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric. This game has a decent over/under (48.5) and Henry would benefit from this game turning into a shoot-out. 4for4’s rankings expert John Paulsen has Henry ranked as a high-end half PPR TE1 in Week 10. Henry is a safe start across all league formats.
Week 9 vs Green Bay Packers
In Week 8, Henry had four receptions on six targets for 47 yards, 52 air yards, 21% of the team targets, and 20% of the team air yards. He had a disappointing fantasy performance and finished as the half PPR TE14. Week 8 was a strange week for tight ends with a lot of the big names busting. The top three tight ends were Darren Fells, Ryan Griffin, and Jonnu Smith.
The Packers are eighth-best against wide receivers but seventh-worst against tight ends, as shown by our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric. 4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, ranked Henry as the half PPR TE3 this week. Henry will be a safe tight end start for the rest of the season.
Week 8 at Chicago Bears
In Week 7, Henry had six receptions on eight targets for 97 scoreless yards, 21% of the team targets, and 23% of the team air yards.
4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, ranked Henry as the half PPR TE7 this week. The Bears are strong against quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers, but they have been vulnerable to tight ends. Their defense is tenth worst against tight ends, as shown by our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric.
Week 7 at Chicago Bears
In Week 7, Henry had six receptions on eight targets for 97 scoreless yards, 21% of the team targets, and 23% of the team air yards.
4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, ranked Henry as the half PPR TE7 this week. The Bears are strong against quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers, but they have been vulnerable to tight ends. Their defense is tenth worst against tight ends, as shown by our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric.
Week 2 at Detroit Lions
Hunter Henry suffered a tibial plateau fracture and will miss at least 4-6 weeks.
Week 1 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Hunter Henry tore his ACL in May 2018, which means he has had more than enough time to recover. In fact, he looks fully recovered because he played in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Patriots back in January and recorded five receptions for 35 yards in the preseason.
Henry has a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric has the Colts defense ranked second-worst in the entire league against tight ends. 4for4’s rankings expert John Paulsen has Henry as the TE5 in Week 1 with a median projection of 12.3 fantasy points. Henry is a solid start in every league format.
Fantasy Upside
Hunter Henry missed the entire 2018 regular season after tearing his ACL on the first day of OTAs last May. In addition, he sat out the final two games of the 2017 campaign after suffering a lacerated kidney in Week 15 that year. So, his return against the Patriots in January's AFC Divisional Playoff game (Henry was on the field for 14 snaps) marked his first action in 57 weeks and three days. Given that, it's no wonder he's eager to start this season. "I'm pretty much full-go," he explained as this year's OTAs commenced. "Everything feels good." According to the team's official website, if you didn't know his history, you might not even realize Henry was returning from injury. Given all that, CBSSports.com believes if you were banking on Henry breaking out last year, you should simply reboot those expectations. "Henry is still just 25 years old and already has an eight-touchdown season on his resume," CBS contends. "Antonio Gates is no longer in the way and Philip Rivers has a long history of leaning on his tight end."
Fantasy Downside
ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams recently suggested, despite Henry's brief postseason appearance, that the Chargers might take a cautious approach with his return to full duty. Williams added he wouldn’t be surprised if Henry ends up posting a line similar to what he did in 2016 (36 catches, 478 yards and eight TDs). Whatever the case, Henry’s progress and handling in August will be worth watching.
2019 Bottom Line
While we'd be a little worried about Mike Williams eating up some of Henry's red-zone targets, at a fantasy position mostly bereft of consistent production outside the top-three, taking a shot on Henry at the top of the next tier doesn't seem like much of a reach.
Week 19 at New England Patriots
The Chargers go west to east for the second consecutive week to take on the Patriots in New England with a trip to the AFC Championship game on the line. The Bolts have the second-lowest implied team total of the eight remaining teams, however, at just 21.5 points. Hunter Henry may be activated for the first time this season but do not expect him to play much this week. He's nothing more than a low salary dart throw for a TD if active for DFS consideration.
Week 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chargers are red hot and go into Kansas City in a game Saturday that will greatly decide the division race. And don't look now, but the Chargers are back to consistently using Hunter Henry. He has 15+ PPR points in three straight weeks. The Chiefs are 21st in aFPA to TEs and not too far from that ranking in the past four weeks in terms of yards allowed to TEs. The possibility of another disappearing act is there for Henry, but that's the case for every tight end this year outside of the elite options. Henry is locked in as a TE1 in Week 15.
Week 14 vs. Washington Redskins
The Chargers have the second highest implied team total this weekend in Vegas at 26.25 points, and Washington is only 25th in aFPA to TEs. It seems the Chargers are back to smartly using Henry as a pass-catcher again, with back-to-back weeks playing more than 70% of snaps with 12 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown in that span. That usage and the matchup make Henry a top-10 TE for the fantasy postseason's opening week.
