NFL Draft Fantasy Fallout - Chad Henne

You had to know this was coming.  When the Dolphins looked at their roster, under the "Quarterback" section they saw Josh McCown, John Beck, and Matt Baker.  That will not do!  Not for a Bill Parcells team and not with a Michigan quarterback available late in the second round.  

That means Chad Henne (57th overall) jumps immediately into the quarterback mix in Miami and he has a good chance of ending up the starter by the end of the season.   John Beck looked a bit overwhelmed in five games last season, and you know what you get with Josh McCown.  You don't know what you get with Matt Baker, but Parcells isn't interested in finding out.   Henne provides big-time college experience and the opportunity for Parcells to build the Dolphins the way he wants: with new building materials.

Even more so than the Packers situation, this could come down to a last minute decision before fantasy owners know if Henne will be starting.  The Dolphins could hand the job to him before the season starts - in that case, draft Henne late but don't expect much from him.  The Dolphins may have drafted the barn-sized Jake Long first overall, but their line needs more help than just one guy.  With Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams on the roster, Miami will be running the ball far more often then they'll be passing it.  Even if Henne starts from week one he won't put up stats that make him worth starting on your fantasy team.

More likely, the Dolphins will hand the starting job to John Beck and then let him suffer while the team works out the kinks of integrating a lot of new starters.  With the easiest part of the schedule coming at the end - their final five games are against the Rams, Bills, 49ers, Chiefs and Jets - the Chad Henne era will start, but it will start late.  There's not much fantasy value there for 2008, but he should be a nice sleeper for 2009.