Hayden Rucci

Hayden Rucci is a 25-year-old tight end out of Wisconsin, drafted in 2024 and now in his second NFL season with the Chargers. He sits third on the depth chart, and his usage reflects it. Through 4 games in 2026 he has drawn 1 target, caught it for 7 yards, and scored on it. That target came in the red zone, so his entire production this season is one short touchdown catch.

That single play still makes 2026 his most productive stretch so far. In 2025 he appeared in 4 games and finished 1,844th in PPR scoring, with no meaningful fantasy output. This year his 7.7 PPR points rank 397th, which works out to under two points per game. The improvement over last season comes from one red-zone look, not from any growth in his role.

Clutch Edge's model projects him for 18.2 points per game, ranked 71st overall among QB/RB/WR/TE. Nothing in his usage supports a number that high. A tight end with one target in four games has not shown the volume to approach that projection, and readers should not treat it as a signal to roster him.

For season-long leagues he is not a roster consideration. In DFS he is at most a minimum-price dart in large tournaments, where you are betting on a short touchdown and accepting a likely zero. What would change the outlook is a real move up the depth chart or a steady weekly target share. Until his targets rise above occasional goal-line looks, his value depends entirely on scoring.

Written by a language model from the stat lines below. Numbers from Sleeper; the 2026 line is the season in progress.