Allen Hurns shines

Expect Allen Hurns to rank among the week's hottest pickups, but before you race to the wire to claim him, consider just how improbable his Week 1 performance was. Among NFL wide receiver debuts, Hurns' 23 fantasy points tied for sixth all time:

Wide receivers in NFL debuts:
1. Anquan Boldin (Cardinals), 2003 Week 1, 31 points versus Lions.
2. Louis Lipps (Steelers), 1984 Week 1, 30 points versus Chiefs.
3. Jim Brim (Vikings), 1987 Week 3, 29 points versus Packers. He was a replacement player during the three-week player strike.
4 (tied). Bobby Johnson (Giants), 1984 Week 1, 25 points versus Eagles.
4 (tied). Rick Upchurch (Broncos), 1975 Week 1, 25 points versus Chiefs.
6. Mike Siani (Raiders), 1972 Week 1, 23 points versus Steelers.

What makes Hurns stand out among this group was that he went undrafted, putting him in exclusive territory. Among the 10 greatest debuts from wide receivers in fantasy terms, six came from players during the 1987 strike. Only four undrafted wide receivers since that 1987 strike year managed at least 10 fantasy points in their debuts, and their rest-of-year stories are rather diverse:

1. Doug Baldwin (Seahawks), 2011, 14 points versus 49ers Baldwin did enjoy two better games than this in 2011, scoring 19 points in Week 5 and 15 in Week 14, and he averaged 6.2 fantasy points per game en route to 99 total, good for 38th at the position.

2. Danario Alexander (Rams), 2010, 13 points versus Chargers His was the only one that didn't occur in Week 1 -- his debut occurred in Week 6, as he bounced between free agency, the practice squad and active roster partly due to injury concerns in college -- but he couldn't replicate the performance the rest of the year, twice scoring nine points (Weeks 12 and 16) but ultimately totaling just 34 fantasy points in eight games all year.

3. Andre Brown (Dolphins), 1989, 11 points versus Bills He's not the ex-New York Giant, he's the University of Miami wide receiver who played for the Miami Dolphins from 1989-90. Brown scored 16 fantasy points in Week 8 and 13 in Week 11, averaging 5.5 points per game during the year but missing three contests.

4. Oronde Gadsden (Dolphins), 1998, 10 points versus Colts His point total came on one 44-yard TD catch. He failed to crack double digits in any of the Dolphins' next six games, before emerging as a viable fantasy option after that. Gadsden managed three more double-digit games -- 12 in Week 9, 16 in Week 12 and 11 in Week 17 -- and averaged 6.4 points per game for the season.

Hurns made the Jacksonville Jaguars' roster on the strength of his preseason -- in particular his seven catches for 113 yards and a score during their third game -- and earned his opening-week start after Cecil Shorts was scratched with a hamstring injury. Whether Hurns' opportunity will remain as large following Shorts' return is the question; Week 2 might be the best test. After all, after catching four of his five targets for 110 yards and both of his scores before halftime, Hurns went without a catch on his three targets during the second half.


(espn.com)