Health has not been a strong suit of Carson Wentz during his NFL career, and so whoever the Eagles' backup QB is, there's a chance for him to get playing time. In 2020, the QB2 in Philly is likely to be Jalen Hurts, the rookie from Oklahoma (and formerly Alabama). For much of Hurts' college career, there were questions about his arm but not about his legs. At OU, Hurts answered some of the inquiries about his throwing, too. If it all came together right for Hurts, his pass-run combo would make him an appealing fantasy football sleeper.
In recent days, Wentz has dealt with a minor injury that's pushed the idea of Hurts as an early-career NFL starter to the forefront of fans' minds. It might not happen, but if it does, fantasy waiver wires will certainly take note.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2020 cheat sheet
Jalen Hurts Fantasy Outlook: Is Hurts the new Taysom Hill?
In three seasons at Alabama, Hurts completed 62.9 percent of his passes at 8.0 yards per attempt. In his final collegiate season, at Oklahoma, Hurts completed 69.7 percent of his throws at 11.3 yards per pass. The OU offense has bred good quarterbacks lately, but that doesn't make Hurts a system QB. He was visibly more sound mechanically with the Sooners, and it showed in his numbers, including a 32-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio.
The biggest thing going for Hurts early in his NFL career, though, is his rushing ability. He also ran for 1,298 yards in his lone season with the Sooners. At 6-1, 218-pounds, Hurts is closer to Lamar Jackson than Cam Newton, but he still can dish out the blows just as much as he receives them.
There are two paths for Hurts, one based totally on speculation and the other based in reality. Folks have wondered if Hurts can fit into the Taysom Hill, gadget-player mold. From a skill-set standpoint, Hurts could certainty do it. He's fast and strong and probably can catch just fine. The difference comes in passing ability. Hurts could be a legitimate NFL passer, something that it's doubtful Hill could ever really be.
In reality, Hurts' best chance at playing time aside from the very occasional Wildcat in 2020 comes as Wentz's backup. As we'll get into below, Wentz has an injury history that suggests his backup will start at least a couple times in 2020. If Hurts starts, he doesn't need to do a ton as a passer to be a solid bye-week fill-in. Even when Tim Tebow was starting for the Broncos back in the day, he had fantasy value because of his rushing, and Hurts is a better thrower than Tebow ever was. A week of 80 rushing yards, 150 passing yards and two total touchdowns is worthy of a spot in a fantasy lineup, and Hurts could do that if given a full game's worth of action.
The only guy Hurts has to beat out for the backup role is Nate Sudfeld. Hurts even threw a 99-yard TD pass recently to help his cause.
2020 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Superflex | Top 200
Carson Wentz injury outlook
Wentz leads Sports Injury Predictor's missed games projection among quarterbacks heading into the 2020 season. They project his chance of injury at 92 percent. Wentz won't be unseated from his job because of skills, but an injury could open up opportunity for Hurts.
Wentz's injuries in college and the pros have come all over his body -- a concussion, a rib fracture, a vertebral fracture, a wrist fracture, and ligament tears in his knee. His play style has included less running in recent years to try and cut down on his injury-prone nature, but those are enough different injuries that it's fair to anticipate re-injury of something at some point. If it happens in 2020, Hurts might find his way onto the field earlier than anyone expected.
2020 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Superflex | Top 200
Which QB is better for the Eagles' offense?
Here, the answer is pretty obviously Wentz. That's not to put down Hurts, but we've seen Philadelphia be productive with Wentz at quarterback and Hurts would be a major mystery.
Hurts would also have the potential to either operate a more run-heavy offense (with himself getting the carries), which would take away targets from pass-catchers, or to throw shorter routes than Wentz, potentially helping a player like Greg Ward or the tight ends, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. But Wentz already loves throwing to the TEs, so they'd probably stay the closest to the same if Hurts had this job at any point, while the wideouts could take a hit.