Who Should I Start? Hunter Henry or Pat Freiermuth

Thursday, June 13, 12:55 AM

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry has been the top dog at the position so far in offseason workouts. Henry has been reliable between the numbers for the team's quarterbacks. Along with Henry, seventh-round rookie Jaheim Bell is finding his footing in practices, and his speed to run the seam has become more apparent with each repetition. Austin Hooper has struggled at times to create separation and is set to carve out more of a role as a blocker in the run game than as a receiver. The 29-year-old had a career-low 419 receiving yards in a bad Patriots offense last year, but don't let his six touchdown passes go overlooked. He signed a three-year extension to stay in New England this offseason and should once again be a highly-used red-zone target by either quarterback Jacoby Brissett or rookie Drake Maye. Henry could be an intriguing touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy, especially if Maye takes the starting job sooner than later.

Monday, June 17, 2:18 PM

Nobody performed better and more consistently for four weeks during offseason workouts than Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. He had an instant connection with new quarterback Russell Wilson and came across as a potential playmaker in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's tight-end-heavy offense. Pittsburgh can overcome their shortcomings at the receiver spot by relying more on Freiermuth this year. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts went over 1,000 yards as a rookie in Smith's offense, and Jonnu Smith had 50 catches with the Falcons in 2023, so there is a history of TEs thriving in this system. Freiermuth is talented enough to take a short pass and turn it into a big gain. Despite catching a career-low 32 passes for 308 yards and two TDs last year in 12 regular-season games, Freiermuth is entering his fourth season as a highly attractive high-end TE2 in fantasy.