Jalen Hurts vs Sam LaPorta

“Jalen Hurts is one of the only quarterbacks outside of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen who can produce in the passing game and explode in the rushing game. He may not be the best NFL quarterback, but he is great for fantasy.”

“This puts immobile pocket passers like Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford on a more even footing with Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts .”

“Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI) offers access to elite quarterback play at a real discount.”

“David Montgomery, Tyler Allgeier, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kareem Hunt, Jalen Hurts – 8 Jordan Love is the only QB in the last decade to:”

“He is also connected to Jalen Hurts , who many doubt as a passer”

“180.8 | WR70 While he missed eight games last season with a toe injury, Purdy was the QB6 on a points-per-game basis, averaging 19.7 fantasy points per contest, a higher average than Jalen Hurts (18.7) and Dak Prescott (18.5)”

“Of the top-10 scorers overall in 2025, only Allen, Nix, and Jalen Hurts were selected as top-10 picks.”

“Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI) One of the most severely underrated quarterbacks heading into the 2026 NFL season is Jalen Hurts.”

“For Hurts to be a midrange QB1 or better, he’ll have to put up big rushing numbers, and we saw his rushing numbers decline last year. After four straight years of double-digit TD runs, with an average of 13 rushing touchdowns a season over that stretch, Hurts had eight TD runs last year. The Eagles had faithfully used the “tush push” every time they got inside the opponent’s 2-yard line in recent years.”

“At his midrange QB1 price, Hurts has to deliver significant rushing value to give you a satisfying return on investment. Because let’s face it: Hurts has been a pretty average passer. Hurts has never had a 4,000-yard passing season.”

“Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI) One analyst has been aggressively targeting Hurts this year, a name that generates little draft-day excitement, which is exactly what makes him appealing. He’s currently being drafted in the QB10-to-QB11 range in single-quarterback leagues, worse than his consensus QB6 ranking, with reports of him falling as far as QB9 or 15 spots past his listed ADP in real drafts.”

“It is reasonable to say that Hurts probably will not be a top-three guy moving forward with the decrease in rushing, but we are betting on his rushing TDs to come back up past double digits and put him in a position to score more fantasy points. Right now his ADP is fair, and you can be comfortable taking him in the sixth round.”

“Most playoff receiving yards ever by a rookie TE (193), passing Sam LaPorta”

“Round 9: Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) Since the FLEX spot allows for tight ends, I made a dart-throw pick on Sam LaPorta.”

“Sam LaPorta has dealt with injuries in the last two seasons, to the point where I don’t want to target him this season. His rookie year breakout feels like ages ago.”

“Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) LaPorta is currently the TE8, 84th overall, a range one analyst would easily take him from over two tight ends ranked just ahead of him. He’s been fully cleared from a herniated disc heading into camp and isn’t expected to miss any time, news that should push his price up over the coming weeks.”

“From Weeks 1-10, including a Week 8 bye week, LaPorta was the TE8 in PPR leagues. He averaged 11.9 fantasy points per game, catching 40 passes for 489 yards and three touchdowns before the injury. In that span, he had an 18.6% target share, which was second on the team behind wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (31.2%).”

“Sam LaPorta was the counter-pick, a name being drafted at a discount after a frustrating, injury-interrupted season.”

“This brings us to TE Sam LaPorta . Historically, he had been one of those middle-round TEs that Jason was avoiding like the plague. But now that he has been slipping to rounds 9-10, he’s an excellent pick when taking opportunity/cost into consideration.”

“Harold Fannin sits at TE6, and Kyle Pitts and Sam LaPorta are essentially tied for TE7 and TE8, with Pitts holding just a slight edge on the chart. Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) vs. Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) In a live dynasty startup draft one of our analysts is currently participating in, Pitts came off the board about eight picks before their own selection, leading them to take LaPorta in the same round instead.”

“LaPorta dominated from the outside as one of the best receiving tight ends in the league, and while he's fallen back to earth a bit from the highs of his rookie campaign, he's still very good.”

“LaPorta only appeared in nine games last season due to a herniated disc. Before his injury, LaPorta had received 18.6% of Detroit's targets (TE9) and averaged 2.0 yards per route run (TE6).”

“Reportedly, LaPorta is trending in the right direction after suffering a season-ending back injury last year. The former Iowa star was playing well before getting hurt, averaging 7.4 non-PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he scored 11.5 or more fantasy points in three of his final five games last season.”

“LaPorta landed on the opposite end of the spectrum. While still ranked inside Tier 2, concerns about target competition and draft cost pushed him down the board. For managers who miss out on the top tier, the recommendation was often to bypass LaPorta's price tag and continue waiting for value later.”