Who Should I Start? Hunter Henry or Ian Thomas

Wednesday, June 10, 6:50 AM

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry has turned in TE1 fantasy finishes in each of the past two seasons and in four of the last seven years, and he heads into 2026 with a locked-in role in a still uptrending offense. The Patriots finished 2025 as the league's number one offense in terms of both total EPA and EPA per play in what was only the first season of quarterback Drake Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels working together. By most accounts, Maye is already miles ahead of where he was at this point last season. While new wide receiver A.J. Brown is certain to draw targets, he also has the ability to elevate the offense as a whole and create more red zone opportunities for Henry. The Patriots replaced Austin Hooper with Julian Hill, but the latter is already lost for the season with a knee injury, and while the team spent a third-round pick on Notre Dame's Eli Raridon, he's still a somewhat raw prospect who could take time to develop in McDaniels' famously complex system. While he will turn 32 this season, Henry is arguably in the best situation of his 11-year career, and at RotoBaller's dynasty TE25, he's an obvious trade target for contending managers.