Finding talent at the tight end position in fantasy football seems to be becoming more of a chore with each passing season outside the top three guys.
Last year, the top three guys were Travis Kelce (316.3), T.J. Hockenson (215.4), and George Kittle (200.5).
You can already see a massive disparity from No. 1 to No. 2. When you compare No. 1 to No. 12, who’s still considered a TE1, it’s a 175-point discrepancy in PPR leagues.
One player that emerged with some value was Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram. He finished that year as TE5 in his first season with the Jaguars. He saw 98 targets, caught 73 of them, and went for 766 yards and four touchdowns.
Not an incredible stat line, but considering his preseason ADP of a borderline TE2 last year, this is good value.
So now we ask ourselves, who will be reminiscent of Engram this season?
Let’s take a look.
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This Year’s Evan Engram
Building the Criteria
Engram was viewed as a borderline TE2 in preseason ADP and was in his first season with a new team. He was also on an offense coached by former quarterback Doug Pederson, who was also in his first season as head coach.
These are all oddly specific narratives, but there’s one player in particular that’s a near-carbon copy match.
This Year’s Evan Engram Is…
Looking at the criteria above, let’s examine the player in question:
- 2023 Preseason PPR ADP: TE25
- Is the first season with a new team?: Yes
- On an offense coached by a former quarterback? Yes
- Is it this coach’s first year with the team too?: Yes
The player we’ve found to fit this is Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst.
Over his career, Hurst has shown receiving upside. He’s coming off 68 targets in 2022, the most he’s seen since his time with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 (88 targets).
With quarterback Joe Burrow last season, Hurst caught 52 of his 68 targets for 414 yards and two scores.
This year, with the Panthers, he’ll be in a system that should improve offensively with Frank Reich taking over the starting job as he molds No. 1 overall draft pick and quarterback Bryce Young.
The receiving group has some decent depth with DJ Chark, Adam Thielen, Terrace Marshall Jr., and Jonathan Mingo, but Hurst will be the starter here.
With the Bengals, Hurst had a measly 5.6 average depth of target, per Pro Football Focus, which was two yards less than his previous two seasons with the Falcons. In 2020, he caught 56 of 88 targets for 571 yards and six touchdowns, so we know he’s capable.
He did see a route running percentage increase at nearly 92%, so when he’s on the field, expect him to be moving.
Hurst’s value does revolve around how confident you are in Young in his rookie campaign, but if anyone can be the No. 1 overall pick and integrate fairly quickly, Young seems to be that kind of player.
At TE25 PPR value, Hurst is looking like a fantastic punt option if you are unable to get one of the top guys.
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