Start Hunter Henry over Woody Marks — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Henry's Every-Down Role Outweighs Marks' Committee Touches

Same 8.3 projection, very different floors. Henry is New England's clear starting tight end and top red-zone target, logging snaps and targets that dwarf what Marks sees in Houston's crowded backfield. Marks' path to production runs through Montgomery, and even with Houston projected to score more, a 52% snap share leaves too much touch equity on the table. The matchup numbers are a wash for both, so this comes down to who touches the ball more reliably — and that's Henry.

What flips it: A Montgomery injury or diminished role would hand Marks enough volume to flip this outright.

AI editor

Hunter Henry

TE18NEvs SEA

5.06.68.3 Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium

Woody Marks

RB44HOUvs BUF

6.87.58.3 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Why Hunter Henry

Toss-Up· medium

Starting TE and primary pass-catching option at the position. Reliable hands with consistent red-zone production.

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.

Entrenched as the primary pass-catching tight end, so even a tough matchup doesn't dent his target volume.
Thin at the position leaguewide, so Henry's snap share alone puts him ahead of most TE alternatives.

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 Woody Marks

Toss-Up

Rotational RB in committee role. Pass-catching back with three-down upside behind Montgomery.

Toss-up — RB44 consensus, projects RB43 this week: 7% target share in 2025, 8.3 PPR projected vs BUF.

Stuck behind Montgomery in a true committee, capping his early-down work regardless of game flow.
Houston's higher implied total helps only if game script forces more passing-down snaps his way.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Hunter Henry	Woody Marks
Projected points	5.06.68.3	6.87.58.3
Consensus rank	TE18	RB44
Opponent vs position	SEA · 20 of 320-game sample	BUF · 20 of 320-game sample
Receptions	26 of 32	10 of 32
Receiving Yards	27 of 32	6 of 32
Receiving TDs	9 of 32	—
Targets	28 of 32	—
Anytime TD	9 of 32	26 of 32
Rushing Yards	—	27 of 32
Rushing TDs	—	32 of 32
Rushing Attempts	—	16 of 32
Target share	18%(2025)	7%(2025)
Reception share	17%(2025)	7%(2025)
Implied total · spread	20.5+3.5	22.0+1.5
Depth chart	TE1	RB2
Snap share	79%(2025)	52%(2025)
Start/Sit record	0–0+1 toss-up	—