Jalen Hurts Could Lose Owners Their Fantasy Leagues

Before you have a full-on panic attack regarding your teams with Jalen Hurts on them, he is my QB1 for Week 15. He will likely be my QB1 for Week 16, too. Week 17, I'm terrified.

This article will cover schedule analysis for Weeks 15-17, followed by QB contingency plans for your fantasy teams.

Schedule Analysis

The Eagles currently sit at 12-1, with the Vikings and Cowboys the next-closest teams at 10-3. Below are their schedules the next three weeks.

Team	Week 15	Week 16	Week 17
Eagles	at Chicago	at Dallas	vs. New Orleans
Vikings	vs. Indianapolis	vs. the Giants	at Green Bay
Cowboys	at Jacksonville	vs. Philadelphia	at Tennessee

The Vikings lost to the Eagles in Week 2, so if both teams have identical records, the Eagles have the edge. Unless the Vikings can make up a game in the standings (compared to the Eagles) in Weeks 15-16, the Eagles would lock up a playoff seeding advantage over them after Week 16.

The Cowboys lost to the Eagles in Week 6, and sit two games behind them in the NFC East. The two teams face off in Week 16, and if the Eagles win in Week 15 against Chicago (highly probable) and then beat the Cowboys in Week 16, they'd hold at least a three-game lead over them with two weeks remaining (Weeks 17-18). If the Cowboys beat the Eagles in Week 16, they'd have a 1-1 record against each other this year. The next tiebreaker for the playoffs is record within the division, which would go to the Cowboys (the Eagles lost to Washington in Week 10).

If the Eagles win in Weeks 15 and 16, they clinch the #1 seed in the NFC, and the coveted first-round bye for the playoffs. They would then rest Jalen Hurts in Weeks 17 and 18. If they want to keep Hurts engaged, they could have him play one or two quarters of football in Weeks 17 and 18, though the game plan would surely be conservative. I wouldn't expect much rushing, and Hurts would not be fantasy viable.

There is a real chance that Jalen Hurts fantasy teams will need a different QB for Week 17, when most of the money is won in fantasy football.

Contingency Plans for Week 17

These potential QB streamers for Week 17 are ranked in order of preference. I'd recommend Jalen Hurts fantasy managers pick up one of these options this week or next, in case the Eagles win their next two games, clinching the #1 seed for the NFL playoffs.

I'm not including Gardner Minshew here, since I think it's unrealistic that the Eagles would give Jalen Hurts three weeks off from football (Week 17, Week 18, and the first-round playoff bye). I'd expect Hurts to play one or two quarters in Week 17 if the Eagles win their next two games, so Minshew is unlikely to be viable this week for fantasy football.

Jared Goff

The Lions host the Bears in a dome, and Chicago has allowed a league-high 8.7 yards per pass attempt since Week 8, per The Edge. The Lions' offense is absolutely rolling, and electric rookie WR Jameson Williams should be a full-go for this matchup. Also, Detroit has put up 31, 31, 25, and 40 points over their past four games.

Mike White

The Jets face the Seahawks on the road, and Mike White has totaled 101 pass attempts the past two weeks. Geno Smith and company should be able to put up enough points in this matchup to force the Jets' hand. Unless the Jets blow out an opponent like they did three weeks ago with Chicago, Mike White is dropping back at least 40 times.

Aaron Rodgers

The Packers host the Vikings, a team that's allowed seven of the past eight QBs it's faced to top 300 yards passing. This is a divisional game the Packers will certainly want to win, and beating the Vikings is clearly done through the air - opponents average 287 yards passing against Minnesota this season, most in the NFL, via The Edge.

Brock Purdy

Purdy faces the Raiders on the road, in a dome game. The Raiders are the NFL's worst pass defense via Football Outsiders' DVOA, and Deebo Samuel may return for Week 17. Purdy has fit well into the system, and assuming at least two of Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle are healthy, he'll make for a fine QB streamer in Week 17.

Russell Wilson

Wilson faces the Chiefs in Arrowhead, which sounds scary at face value. However, he just lit them up for 247 yards and three TDs in Week 14, and the Chiefs have struggled against the pass all season - 25th in Football Outsiders' DVOA and 20.7 fantasy points allowed per game to QBs, via The Edge.

If you have Jalen Hurts on your fantasy team, make sure to scoop one of these options for Week 17. While I doubt the Eagles sit Hurts entirely for Weeks 17 and 18, they'll be highly unlikely to let him play more than a half of football those weeks if the Eagles win their next two games, clinching the #1 seed in the NFC.