Reasons why Henry could be a top TE option in 2020
Regardless of whether it is Taylor or rookie Justin Herbert, Henry is going to have a new quarterback targeting him in 2020. In the event that Taylor does win the starting job — as expected — then Henry could be in for a productive season with the Chargers.
From 2-15-2017, Taylor was the starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills. In all three of those seasons, Taylor’s go-to tight end was Charles Clay. Furthermore, in all three of those seasons, Clay finished as one of the primary options in Buffalo’s aerial attack. Even when Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Marquise Goodwin were Buffalo’s wideouts, Clay still produced favorably.
For instance, Clay tallied 77 targets in 2015, hauling in 51 passes for 528 yards and three touchdowns. His 77 targets were third on the team behind Woods and Watkins. In terms of fantasy football, he would finish as the 18th highest-scoring tight end in 2015. It would be more of the same for Clay in his other two seasons with Taylor, concluding the 2016 and 2017 seasons as the 16th and 18th highest-scoring tight end in fantasy football.
While he wasn’t a top-tier option in fantasy football, Clay saw a large role in Buffalo’s offense. Altogether, in his three years with Taylor, Clay was top three in targets for the Bills. And when Lynn was the offensive coordinator of Buffalo in 2016, Clay was the No. 1 target getter for the Bills.
So what does this mean for Henry? No offense to Clay, but Henry is a more explosive receiver at the tight end position. Provided that, Henry should see a similar share of targets as Clay in 2020. But the difference is, Henry can stretch the field better than Clay could. When Clay suited up for Buffalo from 2015-2017, he averaged an aDOT of just 7.6 yards.
As for Henry, he produced an aDOT of 10.4 yards last season, which was the third-best among tight ends that saw 60+ targets. In addition to that, Henry ran a passing route on 73.9 percent of the plays he was in (fifth-most among tight ends). While those numbers could slightly decrease in 2020, Henry should still be utilized heavily with Taylor under center. Last season, Henry was the ninth highest-scoring tight end in fantasy football.
Similar to Clay in his time with the Bills, Henry will have to fend off Keenan Allen and Mike Williams for targets in 2020. Not to mention, Austin Ekeler figures to have a pass-catching role once again this season. Nonetheless, Henry is still going to be a prominent member of Los Angeles’ offensive gameplan.
As a result, the former second-round pick out of Arkansas could find himself as a top-five tight end in fantasy football this season. Of course, that’s assuming that he stays healthy and the Chargers’ quarterback situation is fluid.
