Monday, August 16, 2010

8/16 Sleeper of the Day: Chad Henne

QB CHAD HENNE, Dolphins

The young man from Michigan was nearly a top-20 QB last year, and that was in just 14 games (13 starts) and with essentially no receivers. It was an up-and-down year, to be sure - he topped 300 yards passing three times but also threw for 140 or fewer three times. But when you consider it was basically Henne's first year (he played sparingly as a rookie in 2008 - it wasn't all that bad.

Fast forward a year, and Miami has raised expectations for its QB. And make no mistake, this is Henne's team now, with former starter Chad Pennington relegated to possible third-string duties. Henne's the man in 2010, and as such the Dolphins have given him a shiny new toy in the form of star WR Brandon Marshall. The once-disgruntled Bronco gives the Miami WR corps an immediate upgrade and makes Henne that much more fantasy relevant. You can pencil in Marshall for at least 100 catches (101, 104 and 102 the past three seasons) and 1,000 yards, which will boost Henne's stats. Brian Hartline and Davone Bess are decent complementary pieces, and the Dolphins figure to have a strong running game their young QB can lean on.

I'm not ready to make any Dan Marino comparisons just yet, but I can foresee Henne being at least a serviceable QB2 in 2010, which places him solidly in the sleeper category.


Photo by The Associated Press

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