Is Jalen Hurts playing Monday night? Fantasy injury update for ...

18 Dec 2023
Jalen Hurts

Plenty of fantasy football owners have ridden on the back of Jalen Hurts to the first round of the playoffs, but a late-week illness has the star QB "questionable" for the Eagles' Monday Night Football matchup in Seattle. Few things are worse than a Monday night "questionable," but when it's someone who will affect multiple players, it's as bad as it gets.

Will Hurts play? If he does, will he be limited? If he doesn't, how does that affect players like DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown? We break it all down below.

We'll continue to update this article with news on Hurts until the official active/inactive report comes out on Monday around 6:45 p.m. ET, so check back for the latest.

MORE MNF INJURY UPDATES: Geno Smith

Is Jalen Hurts playing Monday night Week 15? 

Hurts fell ill and missed practice on Saturday, but the Eagles initially didn't view his sickness as a serious issue, failing to include him on their initial injury report. However, his symptoms reportedly worsened overnight, prompting the Eagles to keep him off team flight and fly him out to Seattle separately. He's now officially "questionable" for the Monday night showdown.

At this point, we still expect Hurts to play, but obviously, it's not a sure thing. Even if he does suit up, it's fair to expect the Eagles to try to lighten his burden, relying more on their RBs. Either way, as long as Hurts is active, he remains a must-start, as do his top receivers (A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith).

If Hurts is out, Marcus Mariota will start. He's also a dual-threat QB, so the Eagles won't have to completely revamp their playbook, but the offense will still take a hit. Brown and Smith both have lower ceilings, but given the lack of other options on Monday night, you have to stick with them. They can still produce even with Mariota, but the outlook isn't quite as rosy. D'Andre Swift and, to a lesser extent, Kenneth Gainwell, should be used more, giving them higher floors and ceilings. 

Ultimately, we recommend waiting for Hurts, but if you do, you should have Mariota on your bench. You could also grab Drew Lock on the chance Geno Smith (groin) is out, but Mariota is obviously the safer play.

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