Jalen Hurts Fantasy Owners Should Not Be Upset

The biggest indictment against Hurts from Thursday night’s performance was the passing yardage, or lack thereof. He threw for only 153 yards, but that is actually not that far off from last year’s average of 193.5. While Hurts can ramp up the aerial attack from time to time, the dual-threat quarterback usually focuses on the short to intermediate passing game while utilizing his amazing running ability. That approach has more than served him well thus far in his NFL career, so there is really no reason to alter his game.

Rushing Always Keeps The Floor High

Hurts has always relied on his legs just as much as his arm. The Week One contest against Dallas was no different, rushing the ball 14 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts looked well on his way to remaining near the top of NFL QB rushing statistics. In each of the past four seasons, he has finished in the top five in rushing yards and first in rushing TDs (tied in 2023) amongst all QBs.

In the 14 full games that Hurts played last year, he had less than 200 passing yards in six of them. Even still, he was able to find ways to put up solid fantasy numbers, scoring at least one rushing TD in five of those six contests. Due to that added dynamic, Hurts will probably never fully bottom out, so he will be a solid starting QB choice every week he is on the field.

Consider The Conditions

Hurts led the Eagles to touchdown drives on every first-half possession, and a field goal drive to begin the third quarter. Following that opening second-half possession, the Philly defense was able to force a Miles Sanders fumble, recovered by the Eagles’ second-year cornerback, Quinyon Mitchell. Hurts was ready to lead the troops to another scoring drive, but unfortunately, a lightning strike occurred in the area, suspending the game for over an hour.

Neither team looked the same after play resumed. In fact, there weren’t any points scored at all for the remainder of the game! That was a complete 180 from the first 30 minutes of play, as Dallas also scored on every first-half drive.

The delay clearly disrupted the rhythm and timing that Hurts and the Eagles’ offense found to begin the game. He has never been one to make excuses, though, and that remained true in the post-game interview when asked about the effect of the weather delay.

Whether it’s our execution, or just are overall temperament as we approach it as a team, we just got to be better.

Additionally, the extra hour gave the Cowboys more time to make adjustments and prep for what Philadelphia could throw at them for the remainder of the game. Overall, however, there is no need to panic as this type of delay is unlikely to happen again this NFL season.

End Of My NFL Hurts Fantasy Owners Rant

At the end of the day, this was just Week One, and you cannot expect players to be at their best right away. It has been over seven months since Hurts has played a full game of NFL football, so you have to give it time. The opposition is also better than many are giving them credit for. Dallas’ passing defense was toward the middle of the pack last season, even with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland missing significant time. Both players were All-Pros before the injuries, so having them back makes this secondary much more formidable.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly for Hurts’ fantasy owners, I believe the real issue here is that everyone just got spoiled early on. We received a full game’s worth of points in the first half and started getting greedy. While it seemed like Hurts was well on his way to a 40-piece, it is unfair to be upset and refer to him as a bum because it did not happen. This 20-plus point performance was more than satisfactory, and trust me, your QB situation could be much worse. Look for Hurts to continue being a top-ten fantasy QB and deliver some incredible performances along the way.