Last season, the New England Patriots had a year to forget, both in real life and for fantasy purposes. When your team ends up with the fourth overall pick, you know something must have gone terribly wrong. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: the 2025 New England Patriots will look much different and be a whole heck of a lot better than the 2024 model. What will that mean for Hunter Henry and the rest of the Patriots in fantasy football? Let’s break it down.
Hunter Henry 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
Patriot Improvements
Why do I type these words out so confidently, you might ask? For one, the Patriots replaced the lame-duck coach Jerod Mayo with a bona fide, real NFL coach in Mike Vrabel and reintroduced Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator. Remember what Vrabel did with the hapless Tennessee Titans, not that long ago? He went 54-48 over his six years with the team, leading them to the playoffs in three of those years. Going slightly over .500 and making the playoffs would be a dramatic improvement for this version of the Patriots.
Secondly, the Patriots added key playmakers all across their team in the off-season. The much-maligned defense has added Milton Williams to the defensive line to pair with star Christian Barmore, who has been cleared for the 2025 season after missing most of 2024 with blood clots. Harold Landry and Robert Spillane join the squad and are proper starting-caliber linebackers. Finally, Carlton Davis will line up across budding superstar Christian Gonzalez.
On offense, the Pats signed Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins while drafting Kyle Williams in the third round to bolster their receiving core. At Running Back, TreVeyon Henderson will be an immediate contributor after being drafted in the second round. Finally, to help address maybe their biggest holes on the roster, the Patriots drafted Will Campbell and signed Morgan Moses, instantly improving one of the league’s worst personnel groups.
With all these additions, along with a real coach, the Patriots will be a better team across the board. So why does this matter from a fantasy perspective? Well, you might have noticed there is one position that the Patriots felt comfortable with carrying over from 2024 to the new year: their Tight End group! Let’s talk about why I think Hunter Henry will end up being the TE steal of fantasy drafts in the coming fantasy season!
Explaining What Happened in 2024
Before looking ahead to 2025, let’s just do a quick recap of Henry’s 2024 season. While the rest of the offense underperformed, one can argue that Henry was a hidden gem in terms of fantasy. In 2024, he racked up 66 catches for 674 yards and two touchdowns. Those marks for both catches and yards are career highs for the Tight End.
But Matt, those numbers aren’t that good, I hear you through the screen…..he couldn’t have been a great producer in fantasy, right? Well, that was a leading question…guilty as charged. Henry ended up finishing as the TE12 in half-PPR leagues. For the standard league size, that is a certifiable starter. Turns out that paltry Patriots offense was still good for something. While everyone else underperformed, Henry was chugging along!
Check Out The NPI crew breaking down the Patriots!
Why I’m Excited for 2025
The main reason I’m excited for Henry this year: people are STILL sleeping on him as a viable TE for their teams. As of early June, ESPN has him ranked as TE18. Fantasypros has him at TE19. One could argue that there are now more mouths to feed in New England with the additional weapons now on offense, hence why these rankings are lower than where Henry finished in 2024. I don’t think it’s that simple.
Where Henry has consistently shone in his career is in the red zone. But Matt, he only had two TDs last year! Yeah, do you remember how the rest of the Patriots’ offense was a sheer dumpster fire last year? With another year under Drake Maye’s belt, with play calls coming from a real offensive coordinator in the McOffense, and even more weapons to help get the ball down the field, there should be red zone opportunities aplenty. What Henry might lose in terms of catches and yards will be more than made up for by TDs.
The last year Josh McDaniels was an offensive coordinator was in 2021….with the Patriots….with Hunter Henry at TE. That year, Henry went for 50 catches, 603 yards, and 9 touchdowns. That was good for the TE8 in fantasy that year. McDaniels’ offense is set up for greatness at the TE positions, and Henry will be the main beneficiary of that.
I’m convinced! Where should I be drafting Hunter Henry?
It goes without saying, but it needs to be said anyway: where you should draft Henry is wholly dependent on your league’s scoring settings and positional requirements. That being said, if people continue to sleep on him and you can grab him at that TE16-TE20 range, go and do that. He has the upside to be an every-week starter for your squad, and at the very least, he’ll be an excellent insurance TE for Bye weeks or injuries in redraft leagues.
For best ball leagues, he’s a slam dunk. Based on the latest data here as of writing this, Henry is going as late as TE22. He’ll be on every single one of my teams if this holds. Look to pair him with a consensus top 5 option at the position, and you’ll be sitting pretty each and every week.
In conclusion, the rest of the world is sleeping on Hunter Henry, and you should not be one of those people. The Patriots’ offense will improve, which will lead to more opportunities for a player at a position that the new coaching regime prioritizes in the red zone. Need I say more? Happy drafting, everyone!
We just started this series last week, but this link will take you to the rest of our 2025 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the New England Patriots
Editor’s Note: While this article focuses on Hunter Henry in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Patriots from Josh Hudson.
Drake Maye
We love QBs that can run, right? Drake Maye is plenty capable of that. He led all QBs last year in yards per attempt and, twice at UNC, averaged over 9 rush attempts per game. With so little offensive firepower, don’t be surprised if Drake Maye becomes Josh Allen-lite in 2025 and we see a top 12 finish before our very eyes.
TreVeyon Henderson
Henderson is my RB2 among rookies, and this is the perfect landing spot for his future. He’s going to see plenty of targets and will have an opportunity for up to 150 rush attempts. I don’t expect him to overtake Rhamondre Stevenson as the team’s starting running back, but Henderson is the superior pass blocker, and that will get him on the field often and increase is opportunities. He should be a safe RB2 this season for fantasy managers.
Rhamondre Stevenson
I know many people are writing off Stevenson because the team spent a 2nd round draft pick on Henderson. I guess they forgot that Stevenson was drafted when new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was last with the Patriots. While he hasn’t been the best RB the last two seasons, the team has been downright atrocious. 200+ carries are in his future, and the potential for 8 or more TDs should push him towards a top 24 finish. And at his current value, that’s a pick I’m making every time.
Antonio Gibson
The drafting of Henderson pretty much relegates Gibson to return duties. Lucky for Gibson, he can fill in as an early down hammer for Stevenson or as the preferred pass catcher for Henderson should either succumb to injury. Gibson is nothing more than a player you’re spending FAAB on if any of those scenarios play out.
Stefon Diggs
He’s going as WR47 in drafts right now, and he’s the WR1 on his team. Excuse my French, but what the fuck are we doing, people! Yes, Diggs is coming off a knee injury, and he’s 31 years old. But considering his ability as a route runner, his skill set is that of a security blanket for 2nd-year QB Drake Maye. If Wan’Dale Robinson can finish as a top 36 WR on only 699 yards, Stefon Diggs can too.
Demario Douglas
Anyone else know how good slot receivers are in a Josh McDaniels offense? I do. Draft Douglas late, then profit.
Kyle Williams
I could put Kendrick Bourne, Mack Hollins, even Ja’Lynn Polk, and Kayshon Boutte here. But they’re not likely to produce or provide much to get us excited. Williams was drafted by the current coaching staff, and there’s enough buzz about him that he can make an impact in 2025 if given a chance. You’re likely not drafting him, but keep an eye on him as a midseason pickup who could potentially help you win your league.
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