We’re a long way from the days of the New England Patriots frightening two-tight end offense. There’s really nothing remotely scary about the Patriots offense right now, at least not for opponents, but one of their tight ends, Hunter Henry, is at least worth your attention in fantasy football.
Fantasy Football analysis: Patriots TEs Hunter Henry & Mike Gesicki
Despite a lot of preseason hype for the addition of Mike Gesicki, it’s just not playing out the way people thought it would. He’s a distant second option behind Henry. Gesicki has 10 catches for 99 yards and no touchdowns on 13 targets this season. Compare that to Henry, who leads the team with 176 receiving yards and 17 catches (23 targets) and has found the end zone twice.
Over the last two weeks, Gesicki hasn’t even topped 20 yards in a game. Even in last week’s drubbing by the Cowboys, Henry managed to catch four passes on five targets for 51 yards.
Start or sit in Week 5 PPR leagues?
Henry is definitely worth starting in PPR leagues. Mac Jones is still under center this week, and he’s going to lean on his top tight end once again. His ceiling is limited, and this week’s opponent, the Saints, have been pretty stout against tight ends, giving up just one touchdown and a total of 82 yards to the position through four games this season.
Gesicki is only worth some consideration if you’re playing in a larger league, more than 12 teams, and need a fill-in.
Start or sit in Week 5 standard leagues?
Henry’s a solid start in standard leagues this week too, but the ceiling’s not going to be very high in this game, given the Saints’ ability to keep tight ends in check so far this season. Leave Gesicki out of your lineup, regardless of how deep the rosters are in your league or how large it is.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Hunter Henry/Mike Gesicki
I’d rather have Zach Ertz of the Cardinals in my lineup this week over Henry. They’re playing the Bengals, who have struggled against tight ends, and he’s seeing the kind of target volume that adds to his appeal in PPR formats too. Dalton Schultz of the Texans has been up and down, but he’s coming off a good game and has a favorable matchup against the Falcons this week.