The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Jalen Hurts.
Is Jalen Hurts Playing in Week 17?
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 29
Hurts did not clear concussion protocol and was ruled out on Friday. Kenny Pickett will start.
Hurts is currently in the concussion protocol. He did not practice all week. Meanwhile, the Eagles signed Ian Book to the practice squad on Thursday. Kenny Pickett will make his first start as an Eagle this week.
We’ll continue to monitor the Eagles’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Jalen Hurts’ Fantasy Outlook
Hurts completed 1 of 4 passes for 11 yards in Week 16 before entering concussion protocol and being ruled out for the remainder of the game. This was obviously a brutal break for fantasy managers, as there was no reason to not play him with the utmost confidence (2023 was his first season without a DNP).
Process-wise, you did nothing wrong. I understand that prioritizing process over results this time of year is irritating to hear, but you did nothing wrong.
This is pretty clearly a situation to keep tabs on and will require some creativity on your end if you still have meaningful games in front of you. Kenny Pickett isn’t the answer to your issues.
Hurts turned 14 completions into 202 yards and a pair of scores (56 rush yards and two touchdowns) in the Week 10 shellacking of the Cowboys — Pickett isn’t assuming that sort of projection.
Maybe you go to Michael Penix Jr. (at WAS) or lean into the recent struggles of the Bears and take a chance on a sporadic producer in Geno Smith.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jalen Hurts’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
Hurts is projected to score 0 points in Week 17.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Cowboys' Defense
After a string of positive performances, the Cowboys' defense came crashing back down to earth in a tough test against the Buccaneers' offense. Dallas recorded a 66.7 (D) grade, its lowest since Week 6.
Each of the Cowboys' four lowest grades have come at home this season, a continuation of the team's vexing troubles at AT&T Stadium. For the season, Dallas has the worst Defense+ grade at home but the seventh-best on the road.
The Cowboys have typically generated a solid level of pressure with Micah Parsons available, but Sunday bucked that trend. Dallas generated its second-lowest non-blitz pressure rate on the season (14.7%), contributing to a tie for its second-worst third-down conversion rate allowed (50%).
The unit will rank nowhere near the heights of the Dan Quinn era. Having been a top-five unit for each of the last three years, falling to the bottom 10 is a massive drop-off and shows the value Quinn brought to the franchise.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Jalen Hurts’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:25 AM ET on Sunday, December 29. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. NYJ)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (at HOU)
3) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. DEN)
4) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. ATL)
5) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. GB)
7) Kyler Murray | ARI (at LAR)
8) Jordan Love | GB (at MIN)
9) Bo Nix | DEN (at CIN)
10) Jared Goff | DET (at SF)
11) Brock Purdy | SF (vs. DET)
12) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at CLE)
13) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. ARI)
14) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. BAL)
15) Justin Herbert | LAC (at NE)
16) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at PIT)
17) Caleb Williams | CHI (vs. SEA)
18) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at BUF)
19) Geno Smith | SEA (at CHI)
20) Bryce Young | CAR (at TB)
21) Cooper Rush | DAL (at PHI)
22) Joe Flacco | IND (at NYG)
23) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. KC)
24) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (at WAS)
25) Drake Maye | NE (vs. LAC)
26) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at NO)
27) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at CLE)
28) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. TEN)
29) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. DAL)
30) Mason Rudolph | TEN (at JAX)
31) Drew Lock | NYG (vs. IND)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (vs. LV)
33) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (vs. MIA)
Cowboys at Eagles Trends and Insights
Dallas Cowboys
Team: The Cowboys are 10-3 in their last 13 regular season games played on or after November 19 (they are 9-10 otherwise).
QB: The Cooper Rush experience may not be perfect, but the numbers don’t lie -- in 2024, the splits by starting QB:
- Win%: Rush (57.1%), Dak Prescott (37.5%)
- Non-TO%: Rush (87.8%), Prescott (85.1%)
- Red Zone TD%: Rush (55%), Prescott (45.5%)
Offense: Dallas has scored on at least half of their drives in consecutive games after having one such performance this year prior.
Defense: Opponents have scored a touchdown against Dallas on 26-of-29 goal-to-go trips this season and are a perfect 13-of-13 since Week 9 in such situations.
Fantasy: Brandon Aubrey has more 55+ yard made field goals this season (six) than the Cowboys have 55+ yard plays during the regular season since the start of 2023 (five).
Betting: Over tickets have cashed in four of Dallas’ past five road covers
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: Can they get lucky win #13 this week? This franchise has hit that total three times, and they’ve won the NFC in each instance (2004, 2017, and 2022)
QB: Philadelphia’s one-seed shots took a huge shot on Sunday – none of the QBs on the three favorites in the NFC have a greater drop in QB+ from home to road than Jalen Hurts.
Offense: Philadelphia was just three-of-16 on third down against Washington (18.8%), their second-worst rate of the season.
Defense: The Eagles forced a turnover on 38.5% of Commander drives last week and found a way to lose. In their first seven games this season with a double-digit forced turnover percentage, Philadelphia was 7-0 and had outscored their opponents by 93 points.
Fantasy: Saquon Barkley ran for 109 yards in the first quarter against the Commanders on Sunday, giving him the most in a first quarter since 2011. Who did he unseat? Saquon Barkley in 2019 – against the Commanders – on December 22 (2019).
Betting: Overs are 8-3 in Philadelphia’s past 11 home divisional games.