Chad Henne's Bandwagon: Now Accepting Applications

On Monday night, in prime time and in front of most of the nation’s fantasy football owners, the story wasn’t all about Braylon Edwards debut in green and white.

No, while Edwards certainly outperformed expectations after being on the Jets’ payroll for three days, it was the emergence of Chad Henne as the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback of the future that stole headlines.

And it should get fantasy owners to pay attention.

Two weeks ago, in my weekly “Bye Week Buys” article, I submitted the bold prediction that Henne might be worth picking up. He’s got a big arm and is used to playing with premier talent after being part of a big-time offense at Michigan in college.

Oh, and Bill Parcells loves the kid.

Last night the world saw why Parcells loves Henne, and why I thought two weeks ago he might have some fantasy value this season.

If you’re still sitting on a Cleveland quarterback, Jake Delhomme, JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell, Trent Edwards, and even some fringe producers like Shaun Hill, Mark Sanchez, and Matt Hasselbeck, it might be time to consider Henne on the free agent wire.

Henne, who Jets coach Rex Ryan called Dan Marino-esque after the game Monday night, went 20-for-26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns last night, with no interceptions, fumbles lost or anything else “wrong” on his stat sheet.

With the Dolphins being such big fans of the Wildcat offense, there are going to be times when Henne isn’t on the field. He also has a fabulous, dynamic running game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The pressure won’t be immense on Henne.

But the reality is this: he’s got a big time arm and a weapon—Ted Ginn, Jr.—who showed on Monday night that he can run under a missile.

Those two could be cash for years in Miami, where the weather should be less of factor on Henne’s production than cold, wind, and snow could on many northern quarterbacks as you approach your league’s playoffs.

Is Henne an elite fantasy quarterback? No. But is he middle of the pack in a year of disappointments? Sure, and that’s why you might want to think twice about him if he’s available.