Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Hayden Hurst


Week 1 Projections

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0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Zach Ertz News

Zach Ertz Still Trying to Play in 2026

Friday, June 26, 9:59 AM

Veteran free-agent tight end Zach Ertz (knee), who remains unsigned with training camp quickly approaching next month, said on the New Heights podcast that he continues to work towards being 100% healthy for the 2026 season, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "We're in a good spot. We're like five, almost six months now from surgery," Ertz said. "Just training every day, doing everything I can to get back to where I was. It's a long process. There's some long days, there's some long weeks, some long months . . . it's tough, but we're just trying to stack these days right now." In his 13th year in the NFL last season with the Washington Commanders, the 35-year-old caught 50 of his 72 targets for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 13 starts before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 14. Because of the timing of the injury and his age, Ertz is not guaranteed to be ready for the start of the 2026 season, which is certainly why he's still a free agent. A team could take a chance on the three-time Pro Bowler before the start of the upcoming season if he proves he's fully healthy, but for right now, Ertz is off the fantasy radar.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Hayden Hurst News

Hayden Hurst Hangs up his Cleats

Monday, March 9, 6:12 PM

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Monday that veteran tight end Hayden Hurst is announcing his retirement from professional football. Hurst will hang up his cleats after not being signed with a team during the 2025 season. In his final NFL campaign in 2024 with the Los Angeles Chargers, the 32-year-old caught a career-low eight passes for 73 yards and no touchdowns on 13 targets in nine regular-season games. Hurst was originally the 25th overall pick in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018 out of South Carolina. He finishes his seven-year NFL career with 203 receptions (294 targets) for 1,975 yards and 15 touchdowns in 88 regular-season games (41 starts). In addition to the Chargers and Ravens, Hurst suited up with the Atlanta Falcons (two years), Cincinnati Bengals (one year), and Carolina Panthers (one year). He was at his best in 202 in Atlanta, posting a 56-571-6 line in 16 games.


Zach Ertz vs. Hayden Hurst

Still trying to decide between Ertz and Hurst? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Zach Ertz is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Hayden Hurst is projected to score 0.0 points.