What to do with Hayden Hurst in Week 2 fantasy football

The Atlanta Falcons signing tight end Hayden Hurst was one of the more exciting moves of the offseason. Strong and fast, he was expected to feast in an offense that leans on its tight ends and where Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley demand most of the attention from opposing defenses. But in Week 1, Hurst’s production did not meet the hefty expectations fantasy owners had. Fortunately, that’s unlikely to be a problem going forward.

Fantasy Football analysis: Falcons TE Hayden Hurst

Targeted five times, quarterback Matt Ryan connected with Hurst just on just three passes for a total of 38 yards last week against Seattle. Part of the problem was the Seahawks defense, which just wasn’t giving Hurst much to work with. It’s also worth pointing out that because there was no preseason, the new guy didn’t get as much time to learn the offense as he would have in any other year.

Hurst is too athletic and the Falcons’ track record with tight ends is too well established to write him off. He still has the potential to be one of the better fantasy players at the position. This week the Falcons play the Cowboys, who gave up more points to tight ends last year than all but two teams. They did manage to limit Rams TE Tyler Higbee to just three catches and 40 yards last week, against a similarly potent offense. But Hurst has too much potential to leave on the bench (unless, of course, you have one of the few obvious must-start guys.)

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Start Hurst.