Hunter Henry Will Still Be a Top Fantasy Football Tight End

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry got franchise tagged this offseason, and his fantasy outlook for the upcoming campaign has several different factors to discuss.

We know he was hurt for a portion of last year, and we know that the Chargers will have a new starting quarterback this season. How will that impact his potential fantasy production?

P.R.E.A.M.

Wu-Tang Clan said "Cash Rules Everything Around Me" aka C.R.E.A.M -- but in fantasy football -- "Points Rule Everything Around Me" aka P.R.E.A.M. You need points from every player, every week -- in order to have a shot at winning your week and, ultimately, the championship.

When he plays, Henry has been one of the more productive tight ends -- a position where it can be tough to find consistency -- and is seemingly always sitting on the edge of the elite-tier of options. Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, and George Kittle are the three elite fantasy tight ends, with Henry in the second tier alongside Austin Hooper, Darren Waller, and Mark Andrews, among others.

Henry missed all of the 2018 season due to an ACL injury but finished as a top-12 tight end in both 2017 and 2019. All of that prior production is great, but that was with Philip Rivers as his quarterback.

This season the Chargers will have Tyrod Taylor under center. Well, that is the report as of now. We will see if Taylor is the starting quarterback in Week 1. Both Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are free agents, and the Bolts, who pick sixth, have the potential to grab a quarterback in the draft.

All of that is to be determined, so we have to evaluate this situation as if Taylor is the confirmed starter.

New Quarterback-to-Tight End Connection

Taylor hasn't started a full season since 2017, so that is where we have to look to for any useful data on him. In 2018 -- when he was on the Cleveland Browns -- he played in only four games and attempted 85 passes. We can't draw anything useful from that.

In 2017, Taylor held an 8.6-yard average depth of target (aDOT) and gained 10.6 yards per pass completion. If you look back to 2016 and 2015, Taylor's numbers are within the same range and give a clear picture of who he is. In 2017, Taylor attempted 55 deep passes, the 19th-most in the NFL, according to Sports Info Solutions.

For Henry in 2019, he held a 10.4 aDOT, and in 2017, it was a 9.3 aDOT. It seems that Henry's and Taylor's profiles line up and could be a potential fit for fantasy production. Some people may think Taylor isn't a deep passer, but we're not drafting Henry to be a deep-ball receiving option. Henry is in a good spot this season to have another productive year, and you shouldn't hesitate to draft him if you miss out on the top-tier tight ends.