Life after Henry in Cincy

April 10, 2008 @ 15:00:08

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Herija C. Green

In a move that surprised no one, the Cincinnati Bengals let go of troubled wide receiver Chris Henry last week after he was arrested and jailed on assault charges. It was Henry's fifth arrest since 2005. The move appears to be a step in the right direction for a franchise that has been plagued by off-field problems in recent years, but it does leave them with a big hole in their receiving corps. Henry is just one season removed from a 605-yard, nine-touchdown season and is one of the top third receivers in the league.

The team is still left with two great receivers at the top of the depth chart. Wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh led the team in receptions and touchdowns last year, catching 112 passes for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is seen by some as the key to their offense as he often bails out quarterback Carson Palmer (70 of his reception were for first downs last year). His 1,143 yards were second on the team to wide receiver Chad Johnson's 1,440 yards. However, neither of these receivers is happy with their contracts and both are skipping the team's voluntary workouts. Johnson has gone so far as to request a trade, although he was said that he will still report once camp is made mandatory. Houshmandzadeh is one year away from hitting free agency and would like to get paid after a Pro Bowl season.

It is after Houshmandzadeh and Johnson that the problems begin as the team lacks any real depth. If the team fails to address the position in the offseason, wide receiver Antonio Chatman is the likely candidate to win the job as third receiver. He was given a two-year extension this offseason after catching 19 passes for 149 yards, but he is just 5-foot-8 and is best known for his abilities as a return man. Following Chatman are wide receivers Glenn Holt and Marcus Maxwell. Holt caught just 16 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown last year, while Maxwell had just one reception in the five games he played in.

What this means for the team

Johnson and Houshmandzadeh may both be Pro Bowl wide receivers, but the team struggled last year when they were missing Henry. He was suspended for the first half of the season and the team went just 2-6 in his absence. After his return the team finished the season 5-3 as he took pressure off Palmer, Houshmandzadeh and Johnson.

Johnson's trade request and Houshmandzadeh's contract issues lend some additional uncertainty to the team's offseason. They should both return to camp when the workouts become mandatory, but it is not a great sign for locker room morale when two of your top performers are unhappy. Last year both of the receivers ranked first and fourth in the league, respectively, in targets (Houshmandzadeh - 179, Johnson - 169) so it is easy to see how they are such a big part of the offense.

The team had a solid offensive line in pass protection last season, giving up just 17 sacks. However, they need to generate a better rushing attack if they want to open up their offense. Injuries were a huge part of the poor rushing game. Running back Rudi Johnson (hamstring) was sidelined for five games due to a hamstring injury and carried the ball fewer than 10 times in four others. He managed just 497 yards on the season. He has returned to full health this offseason and is looking to get back to his 2006 form. Running back Kenny Watson replaced him in those games and managed 763 yards over 16 games. He had a decent 4.3 yards-per-carry average. Watson was solid, but he is not a top-tier back and might not hold up over a full season in a No. 1 rule. A pair of recent high-round draft picks, running backs Chris Perry (ankle) and Kenny Irons (knee), are both returning from serious injuries suffered last year. The team is on record saying that they are not counting on Irons this season.

Henry's absence was a big reason the Bengals passing attack clogged up last season. In 2006, Henry caught nine touchdown passes as the third option and at 6-foot-4 was a big target for Palmer in the red zone. With him gone for the first eight games last year teams were able to double-team Johnson. This was more prevalent in the end zone as Johnson caught just three touchdown passes in the first half. Johnson's stats were also erratic as his eight touchdowns came in just four games. During one stretch last year he went eight games without catching a touchdown pass. If the team does not replace Henry with another quality receiver, it could be more of the same from Johnson: a big game (like last year's 209-yard, two-touchdown game in Week 2), followed by some forgettable performances before another big game. His fantasy value for the upcoming season should be around a mid-range No. 1 if everything stays as is, though consistency could be an issue.

As for Houshmandzadeh, he was the most targeted receiver in the league (179) and got a big boost from lining up opposite Johnson. His league-leading 112 receptions give him even greater value in points-per-reception leagues. However, the troubles with Johnson are reason to worry about Houshmandzadeh next season. If Johnson does indeed go, Houshmandzadeh would likely receive all the double teams that normally go to Johnson. View him as a weak No. 1 receiver for now, but drop him to strong No. 2 if Johnson is in something other than a Bengals uniform in 2008.

Chatman, Holt and Maxwell do not have much value in any fantasy leagues for the time being. Chatman has had one decent year in the NFL, catching 49 passes for 549 yards and four touchdowns in 2005. But don't expect much more from him. He is not worth a selection in any fantasy leagues yet.

Henry's release could impact Palmer the most. Two great seasons had solidified Palmer as a top-five quarterback. He threw for 3,836 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2005, while picking up only 12 interceptions. He was outstanding again in 2006, throwing 28 touchdowns but upping his yardage to 4,035 and getting 13 passes picked off. Last year wasn't a complete disaster as he still threw for 4,131 yards, but a league-leading 20 interceptions and only 26 touchdowns have some worried he will regress from his Pro Bowl days. Palmer's totals were also inflated by a huge Week 2 game, when he threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns. Nine times last year Palmer went with one touchdown or less; and he was especially bad in the last five games of the season, three times throwing for less than 200 yards. If the team does not get a decent third option, or should they get rid of Johnson, expect more of the same inconsistency from Palmer. He still has value as a decent No. 1 quarterback with some upside.

As for Henry, he should not be touched in fantasy leagues for now. With the stiff penalties dished out by the NFL for poor off-field conduct, Henry will likely find himself suspended for at least part of the 2008 season - especially considering he is coming off an eight-game suspension just last year. On top of that, Henry will have to find a team to take him. Even with all his talent that could be tough due to his behavior away from the stadium.

Finally, look for the team to target a wide receiver sometime in the draft. The free agent pool is not that great, and the team could look early in a draft considered to be deep at the receiver position. They have two third-round draft picks, which ironically is the round Henry was drafted in. If the team does find a rookie to come in and contribute right away as the third receiver it should give a boost to the three big players' (Johnson, Houshmandzadeh and Palmer) value, while hurting any of the bottom receivers.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

Impact Analysis: Dallas Cowboys' backfield (08/02)
Impact Analysis: Nate Burleson, WR, Detroit Lions (07/29)
Fantasy Football Impact Analysis: Cleveland Browns backfield (06/15)
Impact Analysis: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions (11/13)
Impact Analysis: Pittsburgh Steelers RBs (10/17)
Impact Analysis: Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans (09/24)
Impact Analysis: New Orleans Saints RBs (09/23)
Impact Analysis: John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks (08/28)
Impact Analysis: Ted Ginn Jr., Miami Dolphins (08/25)
Impact Analysis: Pittsburgh Steelers backfield (08/07)