Jalen Hurts Survives Rocky Season To Push For Fantasy Football Prominence
Fantasy

Jalen Hurts Survives Rocky Season To Push For Fantasy Football Prominence

Ian Hartitz breaks down Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles passing game, and whether Hurts is still elite.

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The bad taste that the Eagles' stagnant offense left in our collective mouths last season is still not enough to overpower the savory performance that Jalen Hurts put forth in the 2025 Super Bowl, when he was the best player on the field that he shared with Patrick Mahomes and walked away with the MVP honors in a blowout victory. Knowing performances like that are still in there for a man who won't turn 28 for a couple more months still makes him a player worthy of drafting at a discount on his ADP from last year. Ian Hartitz breaks it down as part of his Philadelphia Eagles Team Preview. 

Does Jalen Hurts still have a 20+-point ceiling in fantasy land?

While 2025 (18.7, QB7) was a bit of a down year for the former Super Bowl MVP, it was literally the first season as a starter that Hurts failed to average at least 20 fantasy points per game.

Many pointed to the Eagles' declining to use the tush push as much as the primary culprit, but that's not entirely accurate. Consider:

  • The Eagles used the tush push on 84% of Hurts' snaps from the 1-yard line in 2021-2024.
  • This rate actually went up to 89% in 2025.
  • The difference: Number of plays from the 1-yard line. Philly averaged 16.8 per season from 2021-2024 (2nd to only the Lions), but had just 10 such snaps in 2025 (tied for 18th).

Now, the team's tush push conversion rate across the entire field was down from 79.6% to 63.6% per TushPush.fyi. Bringing Mannion into the fold could feasibly lead to lesser reliance on the gimmick. Another more half-baked thought: What if Philly looks to save Hurts from some extra punishment by training one of its new rookies, North Dakota State QB Cole Payton or Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers (former QB), to execute the play?

This is relevant because the tush push is what separates Hurts from being a good vs. great fantasy quarterback. The chart below demonstrates his fantasy finishes with and without the tush push. Note that the 50% and 25% columns denote Hurts' fantasy ranks if he achieved 50% or 25% of the tush push fantasy points under the assumption that he'd still produce plenty of rushing and passing scores from the 1-yard line without the play.

Maybe Mannion's schematic improvements—combined with more buy-in from Hurts himself—lead to newfound heights as a passer, but the more recent editions in 2024 (193.5 passing yards per game) and 2025 (201.5) simply weren't as productive as 2022 (246.7) and 2023 (226.9). It was also concerning to see Hurts set five-year lows in rushing yards (26.3) and rush attempts (6.6) per game in 2025.

Ultimately, things seem a bit rocky in Philly at the moment, and it shouldn't shock anyone if we've already seen Hurts' best football … but man: His early QB5 ADP sure seems to be priced closer to his floor than ceiling. After all, Hurts joins Josh Allen as the league's only QBs with annual double-digit rushing touchdown upside—more of the same near the goal line, combined with Hurts and this offense making even a slight return to form in the passing and rushing efficiency departments, could easily bring back 2021-2024 fantasy heights.

Also note: The Eagles were reportedly asking for a second-round pick in exchange for longtime backup Tanner McKee before the NFL Draft. While the 26-year-old talent remains a member of the Eagles, their decisions to 1.) Trade for veteran Andy Dalton, and 2.) Draft developmental QB Cole Payton, makes me wonder if the front office really plans to still have McKee on this roster come September. Note that McKee will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. I'm a big fan of stashing McKee on dynasty squads ahead of the potential scenario where he is traded and/or gets more of a real chance to start somewhere in 2027 … Payton is a freaky athlete with the sort of rushing ability to be a fantasy star if ever given the opportunity. Of course, the fifth-round lefty is very raw as a passer and faces a steep developmental curve coming out of North Dakota State. Still, late-round rookie picks are meant for throwing darts at guys who can really pop if the opportunity ever presents itself—I like the idea of stashing Payton and/or Browns QB Taylen Green on taxi squads.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Jalen Hurts
    JalenHurts
    QBPHIPHI
    PPG
    18.2
    Proj
    316.6
  2. Tanner McKee
    TannerMcKee
    QBPHIPHI
    PPG
    3.7
  3. Andy Dalton
    AndyDalton
    QBPHIPHI
    PPG
    2.6
    Proj
    13.5
  4. ColePayton
    QBPHIPHI

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