Week 4 TE Rankings: Hunter Henry, Oronde Gadsden and More Freedman's Favorites
Matthew Freedman uncovers his favorite tight end plays for Week 4 in the fantasy football season, including Hunter Henry, Travis Kelce, Oronde Gadsden and more.
It's Week 4, and that means for each team we now have three games to analyze—three distinct data points to consider.
One point is almost meaningless. It exists by itself in the infinite nothingness of space and time.But two points form a line. They give us directionality.And three points form a triangle. They give us dimensionality.In other words: The season is truly starting to take shape.Let's get into the Week 4 TE edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of:- Favorable betting factors and situational spots
- Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
- Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)
Week 4 Tight End Rankings
Hunter Henry is a TE1 in Week 4
If you look at our Fantasy Life Scoring Matrix, you'll see something you won't believe: Hunter Henry is the No. 1 TE in fantasy with 11.7 points per game.
How?Well, he's the No. 4 TE in snaps played (167). And he's the No. 1 TE in air yards (202).All in, Henry is the No. 2 TE in Utilization Score (89, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report).With that usage, his production makes sense (13-165-2 receiving, 22 targets).But will he continue to get the kind of usage that results in high-end production? Maybe. The Pats don't seem to love any of their WRs, so he has little competition for targets, and despite his week-to-week inconsistency, Henry is at least reliable in a year-over-year fashion: Just once since 2019 has Henry not had 500+ yards receiving. And his matchup this week is pristine: The Panthers are No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (51.6%), and that's not a fluke, because last year under DC Ejiro Evero, they were also No. 31 (24.9%, per FTN).And the year before that, in Evero's first season as Panthers DC … they were No. 29 (19.7%).Evero's defense is simply susceptible to TE production—and I expect the Pats to use Henry to attack it.For the rest of the season, Henry's a borderline TE1. In Guillotine Leagues, I wouldn't be aggressive on him, because he's probably not elite and eventually you'll likely want to replace him.But he's also good enough to serve as a bridge to the next guy—and there's a non-zero chance he'll turn into the elite TE you're looking for. It's within the range of outcomes.And this week, there's nothing at all borderline about Henry. He's firmly inside the border against the Panthers.Oronde Gadsden Has a Name to Remember for Week 4
In Weeks 1-2, rookie Oronde Gadsden was a gameday inactive, but then in Week 3, TE Will Dissly (knee) was out with an injury, and Gadsden—on a limited 22 snaps—impressed with 5-46-0 receiving on 7 targets.
For context: To this point in the season, the other TEs on the roster—Dissly, Tyler Conklin and Tucker Fisk (all veterans)—have combined for 7 targets.Previous to Gadsden's outburst, Chargers TEs have essentially served as honorary OLs under OC Greg Roman … but Roman throughout his career has also made good use of TEs Vernon Davis (2011-14 49ers), Charles Clay (2015-16 Bills) and Mark Andrews (2019-22 Ravens).The Chargers are loaded with WRs Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston—and if Dissly returns to action, he might send Gadsden back to the sideline—but the rookie is at least intriguing: He has playmaking ability that no other TE on the roster possesses.And if Dissly is out again, then Gadsden will have desperado flier viability against the Giants, who have allowed an NFL-high 10 targets per game to TEs.In deep leagues, Gadsden warrants waiver consideration.The Hot Route
Travis Kelce (Chiefs) vs. Ravens: Kelce's averages of 5.7 targets and 44.7 yards receiving per game are marked lows with QB Patrick Mahomes … but the Ravens are No. 28 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (28.7%), and Mahomes as an underdog is 12-3-1 ATS (53.0%, per Action Network). If not now, when?
Kyle Pitts (Falcons) vs. Commanders: Pitts has 5+ targets in every game, and SS Will Harris (leg, IR) is out. He's still a nasty play, but less nasty than in previous seasons.Mason Taylor (Jets) at Dolphins: The rookie Taylor had a career-high 6 targets in Week 3, and the Dolphins could be without three starters in the secondary, including SS Ifeatu Melifonwu (calf), who missed Week 3. The total for this game is only 44.5, but the over is a five-star bet (per our Fantasy Life Game Model).Notes
Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings and projections. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.
Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings and projections schedule.- Tue AM: Publish rankings and projections
- Thu AM: Refresh rankings and projections
- Thu PM: Make necessary TNF rankings changes
- Sat PM: Update rankings and projections
- Sun AM: Revise rankings
- Sun PM: Finalize rankings based on news prior to 1 p.m. ET kickoff
Cohesion: My positional breakdowns are published separately, but I think of them as comprising one whole, so check out the rest of my favorite Week 4 fantasy football plays (via my Fantasy Life author page).
Abbreviations: Here are some abbreviations I might have used in the piece.- Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
- Against the Spread (ATS)
- Over/Under (O/U)
- Team Total (TT)
- Moneyline (ML)
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
- Expected Points Added (EPA)
- Success Rate (SR)
- Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
- Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
- AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
- Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
- Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
- Short Down and Distance (SDD)
- Long Down and Distance (LDD)
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