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.
