Jalen Hurts vs Shedeur Sanders: Who Should You Start?
Jalen Hurts and Shedeur Sanders are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback averaged 18.8 PPG in 2025, a full 8.2 points per game ahead of Shedeur Sanders's 10.6 with the Cleveland Browns. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
Jalen Hurts carries a 8.2-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Jalen Hurts offers meaningful rushing upside with 421 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Shedeur Sanders (1400 passing yards, 7 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.
