It’s never too early to catch up on player news ahead of the 2022 season and our newsdesk will keep you up to date. Let’s take a look at the latest news and notes surrounding the NFL. Reports from the Bengals camp indicate that Hayden Hurst is extremely motivated. Should he be on your radar as a 2022 tight-end sleeper?
Get FantasyPros News App for iOS and Android now >>
Hayden Hurst is considered a sleeper in 2022
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. believes Cincinnati Bengals’ Hayden Hurst should be considered a sleeper at the position in 2022. He writes that Hurst, who signed with the Bengals last offseason, “arrived remarkably motivated, still a first-round-pick caliber athlete and just 28.
Fantasy Impact: Hurst replaces CJ Uzomah, who left for the New York Jets during the offseason. Hurst consistently played behind Mark Andrews and Kyle Pitts in Baltimore and never got a real chance to break out. However, he should have this opportunity now. As Dehner notes, “Hurst offers a higher passing ceiling than Uzomah, and the solid numbers Uzomah presented last year should be taken as a basis for expectations.” For reference, Uzomah totaled 49 receptions, 493 yards and five touchdowns and ended up as TE17 in standard fantasy leagues. Hurst should be viewed as a late riser with a top 12 tight end on top.
By Andersen Pickard
Table of Contents
Hayden Hurst Fantasy Football Outlook 2022
Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst is hardly a world champion, but it’s hard not to see him as a post-draft winner. Solely owned by CJ Uzomah’s vacant role from last season, the former Falcon offers a certain fantasy appeal.
Uzomah’s 78% track attendance ranked fourth highest among tight ends in 2021
Tight ends on the pitch, often stumbling in high-scoring environments in fantasy scoring. It’s a highly coveted role designed to exude fantasy points. However, being on the field doesn’t always mean the required fantasy production, especially in offenses loaded with other weapons. Uzomah’s 13% target rate per route placed last among tight ends with at least 40 targets in 2021. Hurst’s target rate of 15% wasn’t much better.
It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that Hurst 2022 is the definitive late-round finisher to target, but he’s worth targeting late in drafts. Hurst is just a year away from a TE9 overall in 2020.
— Andrew Erickson
2022 Consensus Best Ball Rankings
Subscribe to: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | stapler | SoundCloud | I listened to the radio
If you want to delve deeper into Fantasy Footballbe sure to check out our award-winning list Fantasy football tools as you navigate through your season. Of our Start/sit assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus forecasts – to ours Waiver Wire Assistant – so you can quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.