Derek Brown called Hunter Henry a "wonderful" late-round tight-end target. In Drake Maye’s full starts Henry owned a 19.2% target share, 49.9 receiving yards per game, 1.70 yards per route run, a 22.7% first-read share and 0.098 first downs per route—metrics that would have ranked 7th, 6th, 14th, 5th and 8th among all qualifying TEs last season. That stretch produced 11.3 PPR points per game, TE8 pace. Although Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams join the passing tree, Brown still expects Henry to emerge as Maye’s number-two option and flirt with TE1 output for managers who punt the position.

Davis Mattek explained that tight-end-premium scoring warps ADP in two distinct ways: it pushes the true elites such as Trey McBride and Brock Bowers way up the board and it artificially inflates the touchdown-reliant mid-tier (the TE5-TE8 range). Mattek called those "touchdown-deodorant" options the worst picks you can make because they are priced up without a stable reception floor. He prefers sliding past them and scooping reception-based veterans like Hunter Henry – and by extension Dalton Schultz – who routinely fall multiple rounds later. Because Henry collects points through short-area targets rather than fluky red-zone spikes, his weekly floor actually benefits from the premium scoring while his ADP stays depressed. Mattek recommended targeting Henry once the Dallas Goedert tier is gone, noting he is one of the few tight ends who gains real value while costing very little draft capital in FFPC best-ball rooms.

Pat Kerrane said Hunter Henry was an underrated tight-end option in FFPC‐style tight-end premium drafts. Henry hauled in 66 catches last year and, according to Kerrane, reception volume is exactly what gets the 1.5-PPR bump rather than fluky red-zone spikes. With only Stefon Diggs clearly ahead of him on the Patriots’ target tree, Kerrane noted Henry could conceivably lead the team in targets if Diggs misses time. That profile makes him a late-round value compared with mid-tier "touchdown-deodorant" tight ends who go several rounds earlier but rely almost entirely on scoring variance for production.

Pat Kerrane said Hunter Henry is one of the best values at tight end, pointing to Henry’s 40 first downs in 2024 (ninth-most among TEs) and explaining that first-down production is a top-15 predictor of next-season PPR points in PFF’s 10-year sample (r = 0.595) and a top-10 predictor in Fantasy Points’ three-year sample (r = 0.608). Kerrane expects the Patriots offense to improve under new head coach Mike Vrabel (0.545 career win percentage), with Josh McDaniels returning to call plays and highly regarded quarterback Drake Maye taking over. With only Stefon Diggs locked in ahead of him, Henry has a plausible path to finishing second on the team in targets, which Kerrane called a “massive cheat code” for fantasy tight ends. The mismatch between Henry’s Underdog ADP (TE19-20) and his underlying usage makes him a priority late-round pick in best-ball drafts and a cheap buy in season-long leagues.

Fantasy Dog Pound called Hunter Henry "a great three-tight-end type build player" and said he is also comfortable running only a two-TE roster built around Mark Andrews plus Henry. At Henry’s low ADP the drafter can “go as light as Andrews, Henry” and still free up roster spots for additional upside elsewhere. The takeaway: Henry’s current cost makes him a preferred late-round complement to an early-round anchor tight end in Best Ball Mania roster construction.

Jake Ciely said Hunter Henry is a perfectly acceptable full-PPR safety-valve. Henry’s 15 percent target share last season was kneecapped by uncatchable throws, yet he averaged 9.0 PPR points in games rookie Drake Maye handled most of the snaps. Ciely projects that a full season with Maye could push Henry to 90 targets and roughly 10–11 PPR points per week, which would land him in the TE6–TE8 range. He admitted Henry lacks top-5 upside but argued that managers who simply want Dallas Goedert-style weekly volume can grab Henry late, ride the stable floor, and jettison him quickly if it does not materialize.

Joe Bartel acknowledged that if drafters insist on grabbing a tight end in the late teens, Hunter Henry is the only name the RotoWire mock-draft tool pegs with any real ceiling. The algorithm assigns Henry the highest "upside potential" score in a bleak Round-13 pool that also includes Mike Gesicki and Isaiah Likely. Bartel said Henry is still a long shot to crack the top 12, but his projected red-zone role makes him the best emergency option once you have faded the position through the first 12 rounds.

Jim Coventry advised scooping Hunter Henry if you punt tight end. Durability concerns have faded—Henry has missed only four games since 2021—and he posted 66-674-2 on 99 targets in 2024. From Weeks 7-16 with rookie QB Drake Maye, he averaged 5 catches, 50 yards, and 7 targets (10.9 PPR points). Stefan Diggs is expected to open on the PUP list after ACL surgery, vacating middle-of-field volume where Henry already has established chemistry with Maye. Coventry expects similar target share and a couple more touchdowns, making Henry a strong late-round TE1 candidate.

Ryan Heath dusted off Hunter Henry as a prime free-round target after digging into the nine full games he played with Drake Maye. In that sample Henry averaged 6.4 targets, 50 yards, and 11.5 expected fantasy points—top-six marks at the position over the full 2024 season. Vegas projects New England to score as many points as the Cowboys this year, and Josh McDaniels’ return is notable: Henry ranked top-five in end-zone targets the last time he played in McDaniels’ scheme. Heath likes Henry as a last-round click in home leagues and as the perfect TE3 on Best Ball builds that chase spike-week variance.

Pat Kerrane said he is largely punting the crowded "Tier-2" tight-end window and is instead loading up on Hunter Henry in the final rounds. Kerrane argued that fantasy drafters are historically terrible at guessing which name will finish TE7 versus TE12, yet the market prices that difference as if it matters. By waiting for Henry—whose ADP is four to six rounds after the Hawkinson/Engram/Kincaid pocket—managers still capture a full-time route runner with red-zone equity, while freeing up earlier draft capital for premium wide receivers. Kerrane noted he pairs Henry with other ultra-late darts such as Zach Ertz, Mike Gesicki and Brenton Strange to ensure he isn’t "left out in the cold" at the position without paying the mid-round tax.

PPRTyler grabbed Hunter Henry as his TE1 and immediately down-shifted to other positions, saying tight end "doesn't matter a ton" in Underdog’s Eliminator. With no TE premium and early advancement based on total points, Tyler is happy to ride Henry’s steady route share and Week-14 bye, then bolt on one or two late dart throws like Chigoziem Okonkwo instead of spending precious capital on higher-priced options. His takeaway: bank the snaps, clear the bye-week grid, and allocate draft equity toward positions that swing weekly ceilings.

Rich Hribar said Hunter Henry is a sneaky late-round target because the market has already baked in Stefon Diggs’ arrival and pushed Henry to TE20. Despite that price, Henry ranked eighth among tight ends in routes per dropback (79.9%), 13th in targets per route (20.2%) and 14th in slot-snap rate (39.1%). Hribar believes those usage metrics give Henry a floor of weekly involvement and red-zone leverage that far exceeds the players going around him.

Best Ball Guy noted that Hunter Henry could open 2024 as the Patriots’ de-facto target leader. Stefon Diggs is "coming on slow," rookie Kyle Williams is still learning the playbook, and Demario Douglas is the only other established pass catcher. In that context Henry’s red-zone chemistry with whoever wins the quarterback job should give him consistent spike-week potential at a bargain TE2 price in best-ball drafts.

Jakob Sanderson urged Best-Ball drafters to stop burning late-round picks on Hunter Henry. Sanderson conceded that Henry’s median projection looks fine— roughly 60 catches, 650 yards and half-a-dozen touchdowns— but stressed that the range of outcomes is almost comically narrow. Unlike the young, athletic wide-outs and contingent-value running backs available in Rounds 10-18, Henry cannot post the 25- to 30-point spike weeks required to win the weekly-weighted BBM playoff structure. With no path to sudden volume (he rarely tops 5 targets even when healthy) and virtually no yards-after-catch juice, Sanderson called Henry a “482-dad-running tight end” who wastes roster spots that should be allocated to players capable of season-altering ceilings. In his portfolio he is fading Henry entirely and using those picks on upside bets such as Keon Coleman or backup running backs one injury away from 20 touches.

Davis Mattek said Hunter Henry is one of only two tight ends he deliberately starred when he worked through the back half of Underdog’s rankings. Henry regularly hangs around pick 170, giving drafters a proven red-zone threat with an every-down role after the Patriots let Mike Gesicki walk. Because Mattek sees so few appealing tight-end names after round 15, he recommends punting the position and scooping Henry late so earlier pockets of the draft can be used on scarce wide receivers. In his words, knowing Henry is waiting at 170 "influences the front half of your draft," allowing you to load up elsewhere and still exit with startable weekly upside at tight end.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound called Hunter Henry the perfect "adult in the room" for 18-round BBM6 rosters. Because drafters are chasing unproven rookies like Colson Loveland, Henry routinely lasts into the final two rounds despite finishing 2023 top-10 among tight ends in touchdowns and now benefiting from an upgraded Patriots offensive line. Pat likes pairing the veteran with high-variance rookie TEs, noting Henry’s dependable route share and red-zone usage make him an ideal floor play who can bail out a rookie bust. He expects Henry’s ADP to inch up once projection systems refresh and recommended scooping shares while he’s still almost free.