The Eagles doubled down on Jalen Hurts last year as they brought in key talent to support the defense and offense in hopes of taking pressure off his shoulders. It worked. They traded for his close friend, A.J. Brown, and saw Brown and Hurts combine to form perhaps the best WR-QB duo in the NFL. They saw Hurts develop into a strong quarterback capable of making all the reads and throws. He used his lethal rushing ability to devastate opponents. Hurts took the best tools of Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson and melded them into his toolkit. It was shocking but amazing that Hurts led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Had their defense been held up, we’d be discussing Hurts as the Super Bowl MVP.
2022 Season Recap
Hurts had a terrific third season in his NFL career. The quarterback set career highs in every category. Hurts led the team to a 14-1 record over his 15 games played. He completed 66.5% of his passes, an increase of over 4.2% from 2021. Yet, in 2021, he threw 432 pass attempts; in 2022, it was just 460. That was an increase in skill and accuracy over any kind of increase in attempts. He tossed for 3,701 yards, an increase of almost 600 yards, and threw for 22 touchdowns, again an increase of six. Hurts threw just six interceptions, down from nine in 2021. He threw six in just 460 attempts but had four in 148 attempts in 2020. It was clear that Hurts was taking the step to be an elite quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The MVP runner-up and All-Pro Second Team/Pro Bowler were crucial to his team’s ground game. He rushed for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns, an average of 4.6 yards per carry, and over 50 yards per game. Hurts dealt with 22 drops from his receivers, which should decrease this year. Hurts did take 38 sacks, which will continue to happen as the mobile quarterback tries to avoid rushing.
According to advanced stats, Hurts was top ten in many categories and top five in plenty. He was in the top five in True Passer Rating, Expected Points Added, Adjusted Yards per Attempt, Fantasy points per dropback and game, and many more. It didn’t matter what the defense did, either. He was in the top ten in completion rate versus man and zone. He was first in passer rating versus zone coverage.
2023 Season Projections
Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles offense is hungry to return to the Super Bowl. They know they should’ve won. They also know that they are the best team in the NFL right now and that every team will be hunting them. That’s why they will look to Hurts to have another career year to lead them back to the top of the NFC East and the NFC Conference. With an added weapon in D’Andre Swift to go along with Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, Hurts should pass for a career-high in yards, touchdowns, and interceptions.
This was the case; if he played 17 games, he would set career highs. The Eagles will need him healthy and to remain on the attack. Hurts and the Eagles will look to set the fantasy football world aflame with high-scoring and yardage games. Hurts will lead the way with his shoulder and his legs. I do have him rushing a tad less than he would’ve last year had he played all 17 games. This is due to him needing to stay on the field. I think they’ll preserve his health/legs for the playoffs and not have him rush quite as much.
Long-Term Dynasty Outlook
Hurts is just 25 years old. The best is still to come. Quarterback primes usually go from 24 to 35 or even longer sometimes. The more Hurts develops his accuracy, game managing, and arm, the longer his prime will go. That’s because his legs won’t be able to sustain him deeper into his thirties. However, this is a guy you want to build your dynasty around. Especially in superflex leagues, there are just two guys better than him: Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
Hurts is an elite fantasy weapon. He can win you weeks all on his own. That’s why, if you can buy him, you do it. It doesn’t matter if the cost is three firsts and a second. That’s cheap for a long-term asset that will only appreciate. Dynasty QB1s that are consistently top-five aren’t available often. If you’re rebuilding, you might want to seriously consider holding him. You won’t be able to replace him. Those firsts MIGHT get you a quarterback like him, but it isn’t guaranteed. I’d rather sell everything I have besides him than sell him. These kinds of dynasty pieces just aren’t available very often.
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As always, May the Force be with You…
