Who Should I Start? Taylor Heinicke or Jalen Hurts

Wednesday, August 28, 8:22 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are acquiring quarterback Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. Not only is starting quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) recovering from plantar fasciitis in his foot, but backup Easton Stick regressed in training camp and the preseason. The 31-year-old Heinicke will be an upgrade at the QB position behind Herbert entering the regular season next week. In Atlanta, the Falcons were expected all along to try and trade Heinicke after taking rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in April. Heinicke made his NFL debut back in 2017 with the Houston Texans and has appeared in 38 games (29 starts) since then with four different teams. His best year came in 2021 with Washington, when he threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 picks on 321 pass attempts over 16 games (15 starts).

Sunday, October 20, 8:03 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 10 of 14 pass attempts for 114 yards and a touchdown, adding 22 yards on seven carries with two successful Philly Special touchdown runs during the team's 28-3 win over the New York Giants. While the offense failed to score in the first quarter for the sixth time, Hurts ripped off a ton of scoring on efficient low passing numbers to lead to a great fantasy performance. The Eagles leaned heavily on Saquon Barkley in this game, rightfully so, leading to Hurts throwing just 10 completions. However, he scored three times and will finish the week as a top-five fantasy quarterback. Most importantly, the 26-year-old has his second straight game with zero turnovers, and that was while being sacked five times. It is nice to see Hurts score as much as he did while passing fewer than 15 times, and he will continue to be a must-start next week when a suddenly alive Eagles offense takes on the Bengals in Cincinnati.