Jalen Hurts offers a lot of potential for the Eagles heading into the 2021 NFL season and the dual-threat quarterback should pay big dividends for fantasy football owners.
Bleacher Report predicted 10 breakout stars in fantasy football and Hurts landed at No. 2 on the list behind Joe Burrow.
Jalen Hurts is one of the more polarizing quarterbacks in fantasy football this year.
Supporters of the former Alabama and Oklahoma star point to the 354 rushing yards he piled up last season, which ranked inside the top 10 at the position. Over his four starts, Hurts averaged 68 yards per game on the ground—one more yard per contest than Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens averaged in 2020. Hurts also topped 300 passing yards in two of those four starts.
Detractors, on the other hand, point to Hurts’ 52 percent completion rate and the fact that in his other two starts, he averaged fewer than 120 passing yards and threw just one touchdown.
However, quarterbacks with the ability to rack up big rushing numbers will always appeal to fantasy managers, as it gives them a nice floor. The Eagles offensive line should be healthier (and better) in 2021. The addition of DeVonta Smith gives Hurts added firepower and a familiar face (they played together at Alabama) in the passing game. And some fantasy pundits, such as Shawn Childs of Sports Illustrated, are predicting huge things for Hurts:
“I’m confident that Hurts will run the ball between eight and 10 times in most games, leading to 800-plus yards on the ground with at least seven scores. With 225 passing yards and 1.5 passing touchdowns per game, I expect 4,500-plus combined yards with over 30 scores. He has an excellent chance of outperforming Josh Allen due to more weapons in the passing game, and his price point is much more favorable.”
Out-scoring last year’s top fantasy QB might be pushing it. But if things fall into place, Hurts has a legit shot to crack the top five—and that would make him a massive value, given his ADP of QB11.
His ability to churn out yards on the ground will factor into where Hurts lands week in and week out, but he’ll still need to improve on his accuracy and decision-making to take the next step.
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