Who Should I Start? Jaylin Noel or Ted Hurst

Sunday, July 19, 6:02 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst has a clear path to becoming the team's next X receiver after 13-year veteran Mike Evans departed for San Francisco in free agency, but with the strength of the receiver room now lending to more quick passing and inside-to-outside versatility, he could still find himself relatively low on the target pecking order. The Buccaneers' passing offense is expected to run through 2025 first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and four-time 1,000-yard veteran Chris Godwin Jr., while Jalen McMillan was one of the standouts of minicamp, and Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell form one of the league's most capable pass-catching running back tandems. While Hurst should eventually carve out an important role, with so many mouths to feed, his development could come along slowly, with his fantasy impact likely to come in unpredictable spurts to begin his career. As such, he still makes for a worthwhile selection in the closing rounds of best ball drafts, but at RotoBaller's WR97, Hurst is unlikely to factor into most 2026 redraft plans.