Hunter Henry or Pat Freiermuth: Toss-Up — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Henry's snap count vs Freiermuth's scoreboard: pick your poison at TE

Henry logs snaps at a rate Freiermuth simply doesn't match, and that gap in on-field time is the single biggest factor separating these two — it's why Henry gets more competitive as a matchup-independent floor play. But Freiermuth plays in a game his team is favored to control on the scoreboard, while Henry's Patriots project as the lower-scoring side against Seattle, capping his red-zone chances even with more routes run. Freiermuth's tougher assignment against Atlanta's stingy TE defense is real, but so is Henry's shallower target share — neither offense is funneling enough looks to either tight end to make this anything but a coin flip. Take the one whose format and league settings reward raw playing time a little more; there's no clean projection edge to lean on here.

What flips it: A snap-share bump for either player this week, or an in-game script that turns into a blowout for one side.

AI editor

Hunter Henry

TE20NEvs SEA

5.06.68.3 Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium

Pat Freiermuth

TE18PITvs ATL

4.96.78.4 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Why Hunter Henry

Toss-Up· medium

TE1 and volume pass-catcher. Dependable seam and red-zone target with in-line blocking chops.

18% target share keeps Henry involved, but a 20.5 implied total vs Seattle caps him at the TE18 line — a matchup-based dart, not a set-and-forget play.

His 79% snap share dwarfs Freiermuth's, giving him more paths to targets even in a tighter market share.
In-line blocking chops mean he stays on the field on early downs, unlike a more passing-down-only option.

The call

Role is not the issue: 79% snap share and an 18% target share make Henry a genuine every-down piece of this passing game, which is why he's usable at all in 12-team PPR.
The environment is the problem — a 20.5 implied team total and a 3.5-point spread point to a compressed, low-volume script, and the consensus 8.3 projection reflects that ceiling.
TE18 on the board means he's outside the standard 12-team starter tier; he's a touchdown-or-bust play whose floor depends on red-zone looks rather than yardage.
Tip it toward starting if your alternative is a sub-15% target share backup TE; sit him if you have any TE attached to a higher-scoring game environment.

Why Pat Freiermuth

Toss-Up

TE1 in pass-catching role. Reliable chain-mover with red-zone size and dependable hands.

Toss-up — TE18 consensus, projects TE17 this week: ATL is the 3rd-toughest matchup vs TEs, 12% target share in 2025.

Playing for the favored team means more offensive snaps overall and more red-zone possessions to work with.
Reliable hands and red-zone size make him a plausible scorer even against a defense that limits TE volume.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Hunter Henry	Pat Freiermuth
Projected points	5.06.68.3	4.96.78.4
Consensus rank	TE20	TE18
Opponent vs position	SEA · 20 of 320-game sample	ATL · 3 of 320-game sample
Receptions	26 of 32	3 of 32
Receiving Yards	27 of 32	8 of 32
Receiving TDs	9 of 32	1 of 32
Targets	28 of 32	4 of 32
Anytime TD	9 of 32	1 of 32
Target share	18%(2025)	12%(2025)
Reception share	17%(2025)	13%(2025)
Implied total · spread	20.5+3.5	22.8-3.0
Depth chart	TE1	TE1
Snap share	79%(2025)	53%(2025)
Start/Sit record	0–0+1 toss-up	—