Hunter Henry Waiver Wire Fantasy Outlook Week 8: Should you add Patriots TE?
It appears the New England Patriots still have a few things to say on and off the field despite their 1-6 record after seven weeks of football. The Drake Maye era is officially up and running and despite being beaten convincingly by the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, the rookie quarterback played some football for most of the afternoon.
While their receivers have been disappointing over and over again, one man has shined through and through since the change under center - tight end Hunter Henry. As the receivers keep dropping catches, Henry has turned into a first-down machine, keeping the offense on the field for respectable stretches. Here's why you need to strongly considering picking the Patriots tight end off the waiver wire in Week 8.
Hunter Henry waiver wire fantasy outlook for Week 8
Rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk made a boastful claim leading up to the showdown against the Jaguars, stating that he has the best hands in the league. That claim fell flat on its face after Polk's dropped catch eventually led to a 96-yard punt return to widen the gap between the two teams in London.
One could argue that the Patriots had no option other than to turn to Hunter Henry.
According to FantasyPros numbers, Henry has registered a target share of 20% since Drake Maye took over in Week 6. In that span, the Patriots TE is averaging 5.5 receptions and 66.5 receiving yards. He is also averaging 15.2 FPPG so there's that. Those numbers scream TE1 potential.
We'd be lower on Henry if someone (anyone) from the WR corps had stepped up against Jacksonville. But that didn't come to pass.
Henry's production has been stable and promising since the advent of the Drake Maye era. There are just two things that could stand in his way next week:
1] The Patriots will face the New York Jets in Week 8, a team that kept Henry in check during a beatdown in Week 3.
2] DeMario Douglas didn't feature all that much against Jacksonville owing to an illness but you can expect him to be back in the scheme of things and steal some targets away from Henry.
At present, Henry is rostered in 21% of Yahoo! leagues and 27.4% of ESPN leagues.
Also read: Early Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Picks for Week 8