Jakob Sanderson is not shying away from Jalen Hurts even after the quarterback’s ADP bumped from the fifth into the fourth round. When Hurts was a fifth-rounder Sanderson said he was a "massive stand"; now, although the market has adjusted, Hurts is still the only elite signal-caller you can "get away with" drafting after a heavy wide-receiver start. Sanderson contrasted Hurts’ new tag with the third-round sticker prices on Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels and is forcing himself to take some Hurts exposure whenever the Eagle slips into Round 4.

Rich Hribar said the Eagles’ jump from the league’s 4th-easiest 2024 schedule to the 4th-hardest in 2025 should push Jalen Hurts back toward the 2023 volume that propped up his fantasy ceiling. Philadelphia trailed for only 62 fourth-quarter snaps last season, which produced just 86 total fourth-quarter dropbacks (44 fewer than in 2023) and a league-low 11.3 second-half dropbacks per game. Hribar expects that number to rise because the Eagles face ten 2024 playoff teams and will be "challenged a little bit more" every week. Even if the offense never becomes top-five in pass rate, Hurts averaged 17.8 first-half dropbacks (14th) before game script shut things down, so a return to league-average second-half volume could add 80-100 attempts. Hribar framed the schedule swing as a buy signal for Hurts and an upside catalyst for A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert in season-long drafts and best-ball rooms.

Best Ball Guy said drafters should be willing to click Jalen Hurts a full round ahead of ADP whenever they have already taken AJ Brown. After combing through his own portfolio with Best Ball Overlay, he noticed almost every Hurts roster in Best Ball Mania is paired with Devonta Smith or has no Eagles receiver at all, making the Hurts–Brown combination comparatively rare. By yanking Hurts into the early-fourth—roughly a 6-to-8-pick reach—you lock in Philadelphia’s alpha WR–QB connection and create leverage against a field that is building its Eagles stacks in a predictable way. He argued the modest reach is well worth the structural edge because Hurts still carries overall-QB1 weekly ceiling and Brown’s target-hog profile can swing playoff weeks 15-17 on his own.

Davis Mattek called the Jalen Hurts / DeVonta Smith combo at the Round-3/4 turn an "absolute smash." Hurts’ weekly 30-point rushing/TD ceiling paired with Smith’s WR1 spike weeks gives drafters two correlated cracks at blow-up games in the same lineup slot. Because Underdog half-PPR reduces the value of raw reception volume, Mattek prefers tying his expensive wideout to an elite, dual-threat quarterback instead of chasing a standalone WR2. He noted that the Eagles still project top-5 in implied points and routinely rank near the league lead in explosive plays, so any contest that shoots out instantly turns the stack into a week-winner. At current ADPs—Hurts 37, Smith 38—Mattek thinks the pairing is under-priced relative to more expensive Mahomes/Kelce or Allen/Diggs builds while offering the same tourney-winning upside.

Hayden Winks said Jalen Hurts is an auto-pick in the mid-fourth (47th overall) because every game-script variable breaks in his favor. Winks expects the Eagles’ defense to regress after losing multiple starters, forcing more neutral-pass situations that inflate Hurts’ volume. A healthy, ceiling-season from A.J. Brown would further boost counting stats, and any injury to newcomer Saquon Barkley would funnel additional goal-line opportunities back to Hurts. With top-five rushing equity already locked in and a historically efficient red-zone passing profile (0.76 EPA per dropback inside the 20 last year), Winks does not see a realistic path to Hurts failing at cost in Half-PPR or Best Ball formats.

While debating roster-construction, Davis Mattek reminded listeners that Hurts essentially walks onto the field with a baked-in 7-point rushing floor thanks to his automatic goal-line package. He projected Hurts for 300-360 total fantasy points and 8-16 rushing touchdowns, noting that unlike borderline options such as Brock Purdy, there is no need to assume an 80th-percentile outcome—"you know exactly what you’re getting." Mattek said that certainty is why he is comfortable taking Hurts over middle-round skill players like Zay Flowers, Jaylen Waddle, Calvin Ridley, Joe Mixon, Kenneth Walker, Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry. In best-ball tournaments, securing a quarterback who rarely scores fewer than 20 and can spike 35-plus in any given week provides structural leverage, especially when combined with two late darts at the position.

Davis Mattek explained why he is largely fading Jalen Hurts at the 4-5 turn. Hurts ranked only sixth in fantasy points per game last season (21.3), slotting behind Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield—two quarterbacks going multiple rounds later. Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy were within two to three points per game of Hurts as well. Mattek’s macro take is that quarterback pricing is so flat this year he’d rather scoop three signal-callers from rounds 8-16 and let variance play out than pay a premium for a passer whose ceiling no longer separates unless Barkley misses time. He wants those early picks allocated to running backs capable of delivering a 65-70 point weekly upside across two RB slots plus the flex, citing guys like George Kittle, Chuba Hubbard, Kenneth Walker and Joe Mixon as preferred targets in that same draft pocket.

In the same discussion, Davis Mattek laid out the bearish case for drafting Hurts at his current cost. Hurts attempted just 361 passes last season—22nd in the league and barely ahead of several injured or backup QBs—while throwing a middling 23 touchdowns to 15 interceptions, numbers Mattek likened to Geno Smith. Philadelphia signaled its commitment to a ground-heavy approach by signing Saquon Barkley to a massive extension through 2028 after their Super Bowl win. Barkley was tackled at the one-yard line 11 times last season; Mattek cautioned that even a modest regression there could siphon 5-8 tush-push touchdowns away from Hurts. With defenses already selling out to stop the deep ball and the Eagles thriving on the run game, Mattek argued fantasy managers may not get the league-winning ceiling they need from a fifth-round quarterback when cheaper options are plentiful later in drafts. He prefers allocating that pick to high-upside running backs or wide receivers and grabbing value quarterbacks in the double-digit rounds.

Davis Mattek said Jalen Hurts is an auto-click whenever he falls into the fifth round of redraft or best-ball drafts. Since taking over as the full-time starter in 2021, Hurts has piled up 52 rushing touchdowns—12 more than Josh Allen and nearly double anyone else. Mattek stressed that Hurts provides at least 600 rushing yards and double-digit rushing scores every season, giving him a weekly floor other quarterbacks simply cannot match. He argued last year’s muted scrambling numbers (only 39 scrambles and zero scramble TDs in the regular season) were injury-related; Hurts played through a bum knee and still finished top-five in fantasy points. With a full offseason to get healthy and an elite supporting cast—A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and now Saquon Barkley—Hurts posted a 6.1% completion percentage over expectation, second-best in the league, showing the passing ceiling is higher than box-score volume suggests. Mattek compared the fifth-round price to names like Calvin Ridley, George Kittle, and DK Metcalf and said he would rather lock up a near-QB1 overall candidate who could lead the position in total points than gamble on mid-tier skill players.

Pat Kerrane could not believe Jalen Hurts is slipping into Round 5 again. He reminded listeners that Hurts paid off a Round-2 price tag two seasons ago and now carries the same elite rushing TD equity because the Tush-Push is still legal. Philadelphia kept its offensive line intact and replaced Brian Johnson with pass-first coordinator Kellen Moore, creating room for both passing volume and Hurts’ trademark goal-line plunges. Kerrane framed Hurts as the cleanest arbitrage on Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen at a 15-pick discount, urging drafters to scoop him whenever he falls past 4.12, especially in builds that already landed A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith.

Greg Brainos argued that drafting an early-round quarterback such as Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen should immediately push a roster toward a two-QB build. Hurts’ dual-threat profile gives you weekly 30-point upside and a stable floor, so the extra 18th-round spot is better used on a high-variance RB/WR lottery ticket. Brainos almost never takes a third QB unless the room empties the position and he is caught with only one late fallback like Tyler Shough. In that rare case he will grab a discounted ceiling play (yesterday he added Anthony Richardson at pick 216), but in most rooms he prefers to hedge a potential Week-17 Hurts dud with a sportsbook under rather than clogging his best-ball roster.

Billy Jones flagged Jalen Hurts as the most mis-priced quarterback in early BBM6 drafts, pointing out that Hurts is going 8.2 picks after rookie Jaden Daniels despite Hurts’ proven 30-point weekly ceiling. Jones expects regression to put Hurts’ touchdown rate back above 6% after last season’s red-zone efficiency dip, and he emphasized that Philadelphia retained both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith while adding Quinyon Mitchell to shore up the defense— factors that should keep game scripts pass-neutral rather than ground-and-pound. Hurts still ranked third among QBs in designed rushes per game (8.1) and leads the league over the past three seasons with 38 QB sneaks from inside the five, a package new coordinator Kellen Moore openly said he will “lean into, not away from.” With Daniels facing typical rookie volatility and an unproven Washington line, Jones is moving Hurts into a personal tier above Daniels and is willing to reach to the 2/3 turn to make sure he lands the Eagles’ dual-threat star.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said drafters are letting Jalen Hurts slip deeper than he ever should in Underdog’s single-entry Greyhound lobby. Hurts is still a weekly 30-point threat thanks to his 14 rushing TDs last season and the NFL’s most productive QB sneak package. Pat argued that landing him in the middle rounds super-charges advance rates because you bank an elite ceiling without burning early-round capital. He lumped Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson into the same bucket, insisting sharp managers who pounce on any of the three whenever ADP drifts can grab a massive structural edge over fields that wait and settle for lower-upside passers.

Erik Beimfohr said Jalen Hurts falling into Round 5 on Underdog is “straight robbery.” Hurts averaged 24.5 half-PPR points per game last season—third among quarterbacks—and his 15 rushing touchdowns dwarfed every backfield in the NFC East. With drafters prioritizing the shiny new toys in Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams, Hurts routinely slips to pick 55 where managers can scoop him without owning A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith. Beimfohr loves that flexibility: he can grab one or both Eagle wideouts when values present themselves but is never forced to reach. He also noted that Hurts’ price is even cheaper on DraftKings, yet the half-PPR scoring on Underdog amplifies his rushing equity and goal-line “tush-push” sneaks. Beimfohr’s takeaway: hit the draft button whenever Hurts drops past the early fourth; you secure an elite weekly floor, a 35-point playoff ceiling, and can still hammer wide receivers and running backs around him.

Davis Mattek said the proposed ban on the Eagles’ rugby-style "Tush Push" is a non-issue for Jalen Hurts. He reminded listeners Hurts still converts traditional sneaks at an elite clip thanks to a 600-pound squat and a league-best success rate on one-yard plays the past two seasons. If defenses overcommit to the interior, Mattek expects Nick Sirianni to counter with crack tosses for Saquon Barkley or RPO slants to A.J. Brown, creating longer splash plays rather than fewer touchdowns. Because Philadelphia remains top-five in red-zone snaps and fourth-down aggressiveness, Mattek urged drafters to keep Hurts firmly in the Tier-1 quarterback bucket for Best Ball contests.

Leger Douzable cautioned that the biggest variable for Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the entire Eagles offense is first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Petullo. Douzable reminded listeners that losing Shane Steichen two seasons ago caused noticeable ups-and-downs in 2023, and he called coordinator turnover a historical "bugaboo" for teams installing a new system. Although Philadelphia returns every offensive starter except right guard Mekhi Becton, Douzable noted that every coordinator likes to put his own fingerprints on a scheme, which could disrupt rhythm and play-calling tendencies. Fantasy managers should be prepared for higher week-to-week variance in Hurts’ passing volume and Barkley’s usage until Petullo’s philosophy becomes clear.

Pete Overzet said drafters should snap up Jalen Hurts any time he freefalls to the late-5th or early-6th round, even if they do not already own an Eagles pass-catcher. Hurts’ ceiling remains largely tied to his rushing—18 goal-line carries and 15 rushing TDs last season—so the correlation penalty for going ‘naked Hurts’ is minimal. Overzet pointed out that Philadelphia offers cheap back-door options later (Dallas Goedert around Round 9 and rookie RB Will Shipley in the teens), but you do not need them because Hurts’ spike weeks were actually negatively correlated with A.J. Brown’s and DeVonta Smith’s blow-ups in 2023. With the market hesitant to draft an unstacked elite quarterback, Overzet views a sliding Hurts as instant leverage: you lock in 30-point rushing upside and can still backfill modest correlation pieces without paying the premium attached to Brown or Smith.

Pete Overzet called Jalen Hurts an auto-click at the 5.05 Sprint ADP, pointing out it’s a four-pick discount relative to Best Ball Mania drafts. Because Philadelphia’s offense funnels so many goal-line touches through Hurts’ patented ‘tush-push,’ Overzet believes the quarterback can finish as the overall QB1 without a paired receiver. That makes him a rare “stack-agnostic” elite QB who fits beautifully alongside early Eagles fades or zero-WR openings. With top-five fantasy points per drop-back the past two seasons and a neutral late-season schedule, Overzet said Hurts unlocks a massive ceiling while still letting drafters hammer wideouts in rounds 2-4.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said Jalen Hurts is still criminally under-priced at a mid-Round-4 ADP of 49 on Underdog. Because the quarterback pool dries up quickly between picks 80 and 140, Pat prefers locking in an elite option early and stopping at two passers, freeing a roster spot for another upside flier. He actually tries to push Hurts to pick 56 in 20-round contests but is happy to reach into the low-40s when the board gets ugly, noting that Hurts’ league-leading 28 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons give him a weekly 30-point ceiling few quarterbacks can match. Pat expects the market to correct once drafters realize the leverage that a two-QB Hurts build provides, moving his price several spots higher in coming weeks.