Entering the 2026 NFL season, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a tough player to project from a fantasy football standpoint.
PFN’s 2026 redraft rankings have Hurts as the QB6, but he is ranked as high as QB2 and as low as QB11 in expert consensus rankings. Now, a training-camp update from ESPN’s Eagles reporter Tim McManus suggests that Hurts could be poised for a bounce-back season and a more fantasy-friendly role in 2026.
More Designed Runs for Jalen Hurts in 2026?
This offseason, the Eagles hired Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator, replacing Kevin Patullo after the offense struggled mightily last year.
Mannion will dial up “a healthy amount” of designed runs during the 2026 season, according to McManus.
“The guess here is Hurts uses his legs a little more than last season based off what we’ve seen at camp,” McManus added.
In 2025, Hurts rushed 105 times for 421 yards and 8 touchdowns — his fewest carries, rushing yards, and rushing TDs since his rookie season in 2020.
From 2021 to 2024, Hurts averaged 694 rushing yards and 13 TDs. Hurts was the QB2 in 2023 and the QB3 in 2022, so the upside is clearly there when Hurts is using his legs.
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However, Hurts’ regression as a passer last season was concerning, as he averaged a career-low 7.1 yards per attempt, and his completion percentage fell off a cliff from the career year he gave us in that regard in 2024 (but perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise, as his 64.8% rate is right in line with this career number of 64.4%).
The Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots this offseason, but Hurts still has a solid supporting cast with receivers DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Elijah Moore, running back Saquon Barkley, and tight ends Dallas Goedert and Eli Stowers.
It remains to be seen how much of Hurts’ struggles were due to Patullo and whether Mannion will be able to get him back on track as a fantasy asset, but the increase in designed runs is a good start.
PFN’s Fantasy Projection for Hurts
PFN’s Kyle Soppe named Hurts as his biggest potential bust entering 2026 fantasy football drafts.
“This is going to be a league-by-league situation, but if your draft room is treating Hurts as if he has a real shot to finish as the QB3 (it’s currently a very tightly packed group of four quarterbacks for that honor at ESPN), letting someone else take him might eliminate one opponent on draft day. Hurts is fine, and I think the Eagles are going to win plenty of games, but that doesn’t matter for us.
“The Bengals, Commanders, and Patriots have a direct path to fantasy success this season, and it funnels directly through their ultra-talented quarterbacks. Philadelphia could certainly win at a high level if Hurts has an MVP season, but the Eagles don’t need him to carry the offense in the same way those other teams do. That lack of sheer necessity is what has me unwilling to pay up for his services. Since 2023, Hurts is tied for 15th in 300-yard passing games, tied with the retired Derek Carr and two behind backup Joe Flacco.
“He’s not asked to put up massive passing volume, and that’s fine, but his passing floor lowered this offseason with the departure of A.J. Brown. Furthermore, I’m not confident his rushing production will continue to operate as the saving grace it has been in years past.
First-Down Rush Rate (Fewer Than 3 Yards to Move Chains/Score)
- 2023: 86.4%
- 2024: 77.1%
- 2025: 67.9%
“This is a tiering problem within the industry more than a raw ranking issue. Some draft platforms have Hurts ranked as the QB6 this season, and I can get behind that, but not if it’s going to cost you a fifth-round pick. His profile is trending in the wrong direction, and even if he can overcome it, are we sure he’s going to be at his fantasy best when his best is required? Home games against the stingy Seahawks and tenacious Texans await in Weeks 15–16, contests that will carry weather concerns on top of everything that comes with facing an elite defense.
“I think Hurts has a far better chance of being the reason you lose your league this season than the reason you win it, and that’s simply not a sentence I want associated with any player I’m drafting in the first half of the proceedings.”
