Who Should I Start? Hayden Hurst or Tanner Hudson

Thursday, December 19, 12:07 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers plan to activate tight end Hayden Hurst (hip) from Injured Reserve to play in Thursday's divisional clash against the visiting Denver Broncos, according to a source. Hurst landed on IR in late November with a hip injury, but he has practiced in full since having his 21-day practice window opened this week. It's good timing for the 31-year-old with fellow tight end Will Dissly (shoulder) already ruled out for Week 16. Hurst last played in Week 10, though, so it's fair to expect him to be on a limited snap count in his first game back on a short week. Additionally, Hurst won't be a viable starting option in fantasy in a tough matchup against the stout Broncos defense. Hurst should work alongside Stone Smartt, who will be the better TE2 streaming upside play in DFS and deeper fantasy leagues. Hurst caught only seven passes for 65 yards on 12 targets in seven games before going on IR.

Saturday, November 16, 9:45 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson is not a viable fantasy option in Week 11 when his team lines up against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road at SoFi Stadium. The seventh-year veteran has seen his usage tick up since rookie TE Erick All Jr (knee) went down for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. In Week 10, Hudson had his best outing of the season when he churned out 42 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-7 receiving against a sieve-like Baltimore Ravens defense. However, he'll have a much more difficult outing this weekend against one of the top defenses in the league. The Chargers are affording opposing tight ends an average of 4.7 fantasy points per outing and are the top scoring defense in the NFL -- letting up just 13.1 points per game. Additionally, the 30-year-old will continue to contend with teammate Mike Gesicki for targets and now has wide receiver Tee Higgins (quad) back in the fold, vying for his own share. Hudson is RotoBaller's PPR TE28 ahead of Week 11's outing.