• Sam LaPorta could continue to flourish: The Detroit Lions’ second-round rookie has been impressive through two weeks and a matchup advantage against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
• The Carolina Panthers offense has a chance to score points: The Seattle Seahawks are allowing the second-most yards on defense in the NFL and 30.5 points per game. Can Hayden Hurst and the flailing Panthers offense take advantage?
• Dominate your fantasy league in 2023: For up-to-date fantasy draft rankings and projections, check out PFF’s fantasy rankings tool!
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
After a slow start in Week 1, NFL tight ends rebounded with aplomb in Week 2. Only four tight ends finished with double-digit points Week 1, but that number rose to 14 in Week 2, with T.J. Hockenson finishing as the TE1 with 25.6 points in PPR format. Most importantly, our sleeper picks Hunter Henry, Dalton Kincaid, Sam LaPorta, and Chigoziem Okonkwo — averaged 11.5 fantasy points this week. A vast improvement on Week 1.
As the comfort level of offenses grows further into the season, the hope is that our sleeper tight ends will carve out more significant roles on their respective rosters. That’ll be tough this week, as there aren’t many tight ends with significant matchup advantages according to our weekly TE matchup tool, so we’ll have to dig a little deeper into the weeds with our sleeper picks in Week 2.
Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers
Opponent: Seattle Seahawks
The Panthers offense hasn’t been good in 2023. It ranks 30th in EPA per play and has the second-lowest overall grade. Bryce Young has struggled, but many of his issues are due to the lack of juice at the receiver position. Nonetheless, Hayden Hurst has been a feature part of the offense to start the season.
Through two games, Hurst has the third-most targets (10) on the team and ninth-most among all tight ends. He’s caught a solid 80% of his targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. This week, the Panthers take on a Seahawks defense that has given up the second-most yards per game this season. It presents a real chance for the offense to find its groove and move the ball.
Despite Hurst having a 21% matchup disadvantage versus Jordyn Brooks, he’s still a potential starter in the format. The Seahawks allowed 7.90 points to Tyler Higbee and 11.30 points to Sam LaPorta in consecutive weeks. Starting tight ends are able to make their money against the struggling Seahawks' defense. Hurst could be next in line for a decent week.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Opponent: Arizona Cardinals
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