Falcons TE Hayden Hurst (ankle) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Patriots. Hurst has played 52% of Atlanta's offensive snaps this season but averaged just 2.8 targets per game, so there's not much fantasy impact here.
It was easy to write off Falcons TE Hayden Hurst after the team drafted Kyle Pitts 4th overall and declined the 5th-year option on Hurst's rookie contract (making this the final year on his deal). But Matt Urben of Falcons Wire says to "look for Hurst to be a featured player" in the offense this year, which is expected to deploy multiple TEs as part of the plan to replace WR Julio Jones' production. We'll have to see just what Hurst's role looks like, but we saw HC Arthur Smith use Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser simultaneously with last year's Titans. The biggest draw to Hurst is an ADP that will find him undrafted in most fantasy football leagues.
Tori McElhaney of The Athletic reports that Falcons TE Hayden Hurst has shed 18 pounds vs. last year's playing weight (down to 250). Hurst -- who had his 5th-year option declined by the team this offseason -- still appears headed for a significant role in the offense. McElhaney writes: "Because of [Arthur] Smith's scheme, there are just as many opportunities for Hurst as [Kyle] Pitts. And if training camp is any indicator, we'll see both of them on the field together a lot." That's worth keeping in mind as you navigate reserve TE territory in best-ball drafts. Hurst sits just 27th among TEs in current FFPC best-ball ADP.
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