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Has Jalen Hurts finally reached the milestone?
I’m not so sure because of the whole Nick Sirianni elephant in the room (I mean, come on), but recent returns have been promising for the former MVP candidate. After a rough start to the year, Hurts is now sixth in the NFL in expected points added (EPA) and completion percentage over composite expected (CPOE), by RBDSM. In the midst of the Eagles’ three-game winning streak, Hurts has been an efficient playmaking machine.
However, Hurts’ recent rise has come at the expense of three moribund teams: the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and strangely inept Cincinnati Bengals. It’s nice to see progress, and I’ll totally buy it against another bad team this Sunday, but I need to see Hurts excel again against elite competition before I start seriously buying some of his actions as a franchise quarterback.
Hurts is a big subject in this week’s Studs and Misses column on For The Win. There’s also a certain marquee franchise that quickly goes nowhere (again). Oh, and there’s a young quarterback (pun intended) who suddenly shows signs of life.
Let’s go ahead and find another fantastic W.
Studs
QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Hurts has quietly racked up over 700 offensive yards alone over the past three weeks while creating nine touchdowns (four passing, five rushing). Jacksonville has the second-worst pass defense in the NFL. This should be a layup.
TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (at Las Vegas Raiders)
The Raiders are miserable and completely unwatchable…except for Bowers. The No. 13 rookie pick was exactly as advertised. He’s on pace to become the third rookie tight end to eclipse at least 1,000 receiving yards (Mike Ditka, Kyle Pitts). Bowers could even become the first rookie tight end to catch at least 100 passes. Phew. The Raiders are terrible, but Bowers is a must-play matchup problem every week.
WR DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Hopkins had a poor start with the Chiefs, catching just two passes for 29 yards. On the season, he has not even exceeded 20 receptions in total. But something tells me Andy Reid is about to make Hopkins a focal point in a night matchup against the Buccaneers’ intermediate pass defense. This makes too much sense.
RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams (to Seattle Seahawks)
Seattle is allowing an average of nearly 150 rushing yards per team each week, 29th in the NFL. Enter Williams, who hasn’t rushed for fewer than 76 yards since mid-September and has scored one touchdown in his seven starts in 2024.
Nipples
Defense and special teams, Dallas Cowboys (at Atlanta Falcons)
That’s correct. If you’re still a manager of the Cowboys’ meager defense, now is not the time to double down on that unit against Atlanta’s high-flying team. Needless to say, if you have any Falcons offensive rotation players available, I wouldn’t hesitate to start them on Sunday either.
WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Denver Broncos)
A combination of the trade addition of Diontae Johnson taking out targets, along with a tough matchup against Patrick Surtain II, makes me sour about Flowers having a huge impact this weekend.
WR Tank Dell, Houston Texans (at New York Jets)
Without Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs, Dell has now drawn the short straw of having to beat Sauce Gardner. Um, good luck.
TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Chicago Bears)
The Bears’ elite defense likely won’t have an answer for Marvin Harrison Jr., but it will win anyway something. I have a feeling it will be McBride in the middle of the field, who is often the straw that stirs the Cardinals’ drink.
Sleepers
WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans (vs. New England Patriots)
I don’t like that Ridley is trying to overcome Christian Gonzalez’s tacky coverage. However, I could see Tennessee feeding their de facto WR1 with enough volume – even in potential garbage time – to make Ridley a viable play.
QB Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts (at Minnesota Vikings)
Flacco was atrocious against the last great defense he played, and now he has to face a unit coached by Brian Flores. So, I’m not over the moon about his chances of success. However, the Vikings defense hasn’t looked as formidable in recent weeks, potentially opening the door for another sneaky “elite” performance from Flacco.
QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (vs. New Orleans Saints)
If Andy Dalton is still unable to play, I’m kind of buying Young’s idea for a few weeks. (Famous last words.) Although he’s still rough around the edges, Young showed enough poise and brilliance against an exceptional Denver defense last Sunday to believe he can still pull it off better against the disconcerted Saints.
WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins (at Buffalo Bills)
Miami’s precarious quarterback situation this year has more or less locked out most of its playmakers. But the return of Tua Tagovailoa makes almost everyone on the roster playable again. Count me in as a Waddle supporter to show up for a tough divisional game in Buffalo.
This article was originally published on For The Win: Fantasy Football Week 9 Studs, Duds and Sleepers: A Revitalized Jalen Hurts Looks Like Fool’s Gold (For Now)
