Jalen Hurts vs Russell Wilson: Who Should You Start?
Jalen Hurts and Russell Wilson are both viable fantasy quarterbacks heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Jalen Hurts averaged 18.8 PPG across 16 games with the Philadelphia Eagles, while Russell Wilson posted 14.2 PPG in 14 appearances for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A 4.6-PPG gap gives Jalen Hurts the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Jalen Hurts offers meaningful rushing upside with 421 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Russell Wilson (2890 passing yards, 18 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
One thing to note: both players share a Week 9 bye. That means you need a backup plan at quarterback for that week, especially if one of these two is your starter.
