Allen Hurns Must Be Priority Target for Fantasy Owners on Waiver Wire

His name is Allen Hurns, but if you are a member of the Philadelphia Eagles secondary you can just call him Burns, because that's what he did to them in the first half. On more than one occasion, Burns absolutely lit up the Eagles.

And after that performance, the wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely should be a target for fantasy owners everywhere on the waiver wire this week.

The final stat line read as four receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He was also targeted nine times—he almost connected on another deep pass with quarterback Chad Henne, so his big day could have been even bigger—a very positive sign in that he was an important part of the game plan this week.

The man made history, folks. As debuts go, this one was pretty darn amazing. Consider the following, from ESPN Stats & Information:

Still, we've seen just one week of Hurns in an NFL regular season, so there are a few ways to view this performance:

• It's a sign of things to come. 
• It could be a sign of things to come, but it also could have been the perfect storm of circumstances conspiring to create his huge debut.
• He's just another flash in the pan.

Let's break down each possibility. 

Folks in the pro-Hurns camp are going to be quick to point out that the undrafted free agent really flashed in the preseason, catching 14 passes during the August games and averaging an impressive 16.6 yards per pop.

Chris Burke of SI.com recalled Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley singing his praises: "We saw it in OTAs—some of the quarterbacks said they really like him....They felt like this guy is a diamond in the rough. Just trust us on this. He has some talent. I think the cool thing for him was it was against the 1s. He went out there and performed at that level."

It's pretty hard to imagine that this guy wasn't drafted. He measured 6'1" and 198 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine and has the ability to make plays down the field. He certainly made a few plays after the catch against the Eagles. You know what, you can just watch him in action yourself:

Hurns didn't go undrafted because he didn't produce at Miami, either. Far from it—he had 62 receptions for 1,162 yards and six touchdowns a year ago. He went undrafted, more than likely, because of his narrow frame and the fact that his combine numbers didn't really flash. 

So no, it's not necessarily shocking that he would produce in his first game. He produced in his past, after all. And owners looking to jump on Hurns can take some solace in the fact that the Jags aren't exactly swimming in weapons.

Cecil Shorts is a pretty good receiver but nothing amazing. Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson are both rookies, and more than likely, Hurns and Robinson will be battling it out for similar roles if Lee indeed plays more of a slot role. Ace Sanders is out of action for a month. Marcedes Lewis is a decent tight end but nothing special. The Jags offensive line isn't good enough to control a game with the run game.

In other words, Hurns isn't exactly facing a gauntlet of insanely talented players to prevent him from keeping a starting spot or an offensive system that will limit his chances if he's on the field. Besides, he certainly did nothing but impress in his audition as a starter. 

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

But this is where the doubts will start to creep in for people. Sure, Hurns impressed now, but what happens when Shorts returns? He and Henne have pretty good chemistry, after all. And what happens if Lee and Robinson continue to develop? Could Hurns be pushed to the wayside? And if Blake Bortles eventually emerges as the starter—will he have the same chemistry with Hurns?

They are all valid questions, and unfortunately, we don't really know the answers to them yet. We only know what we saw thus far. And what we saw was Hurns really flash. Just like he did in the preseason.

Ah, but who did he flash against? A pretty dreadful Eagles secondary, that's who. Chris B. Brown suspects the Eagles could be a friendly opponent for more than a few fantasy receivers this year:

It's a fair point. The Eagles gave up 27.9 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in standard-scoring leagues last year, worst in the NFL, according to ESPN. They just allowed Henne to throw for 266 yards and two scores on them, at home. This was a pretty good matchup for Hurns. 

And c'mon, we've all seen this before, right? Who could forget Kevin Ogletree catching eight passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the first week of the 2012-13 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys? What ever happened to that guy?

Well, he ended up in Detroit and caught 21 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns last year. So not much.

You'll hear the Ogletree comparisons quite frequently from the Hurns detractors. Here's the thing, though—Ogletree was already in his fourth year when he had his big breakthrough. Nothing in his past suggested that performance was forthcoming. And he was on a team that had far more talented and established receiving targets ahead of him in the pecking order. 

His was a recipe for a "flash in the pan." Hurns is cooking with different ingredients. 

USA TODAY Sports

Since we're going to use an example of the type of bust Hurns could be, why not also point out the type of stud he could end up being? Victor Cruz was an undrafted receiver, after all. Heck, he wasn't even invited to the combine. But Cruz flashed in the preseason, and when he got his chance in 2011, he exploded, finishing the year with 82 receptions for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.

Nobody is saying Hurns will have that type of output. Far from it. He doesn't have Eli Manning in his prime slinging the rock to him or a Super Bowl caliber roster surrounding him. What he does appear to have, however, is a golden opportunity to prove he's a worthy starter in the NFL.

The Giants trusted their eyes with Cruz. The Jaguars appear to be trusting their eyes with Hurns. Perhaps you should be trusting your eyes with him, too.

Because it's been so far, so good for Hurns. So very, very good. As a fantasy owner, you could do far worse than taking a shot on Hurns this week on waivers. He could end up just sitting on your bench, sure. But he's already shown that he could also end up being one of the more pleasant surprises in fantasy this season. 

That makes him completely worth the risk and completely worth a spot on your roster.

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes too. It's more fun than Graham Gano hanging out with the band.