Jalen Hurts’ fantasy production has absolutely fallen off a cliff this season, plain and simple, and if you’re still thinking of him as an elite QB1 for Week 5, you’re looking at old stats. His scoring has dropped week after week, from a solid 24.72 points in Week 1 down to a measly 13.62 and 13.52 in the last two contests. What in the world is going on with the guy we all knew as a rushing dynamo?
The Brutal Truth About Jalen Hurts’ Disappearing Act
Seriously, the biggest issue is his rushing production. From 2021 through 2024, Hurts was averaging a monstrous 9.5 fantasy points per game just from running the ball, leading all quarterbacks. But since the start of last season, that average has plummeted by a whopping 44%! We’re talking about a guy who’s only managed 26 rushing yards per game over that stretch and scored just one rushing touchdown in his last nine starts. That’s not the Jalen Hurts we drafted, is it? And it gets worse: he’s not making up for it in the air, averaging only 178.3 passing yards per game in 2026. After tearing up the Commanders in Week 1, a defense that frankly has been pretty bad, he’s thrown four touchdowns and three interceptions in the three games since.
Now, he’s staring down a Week 5 matchup against the Jaguars. These guys are no joke; they’ve already shut down Drake Maye, Bo Nix, and Deshaun Watson, keeping them all outside the top 18 fantasy quarterbacks. The Jags defense has allowed just three touchdown passes while snagging six interceptions through the first month of the season, giving them the best touchdown to interception ratio of any defense so far. So, while your gut might scream “QB1” when you see Hurts’ name, the cold, hard numbers for this season, and especially this week, say something totally different. You’ve got to be smart here.
David Montgomery’s Week 1 Was a Cruel Illusion
And speaking of players whose elite history is totally detached from their current reality, can we talk about David Montgomery? This dude has been awful, no two ways about it. He absolutely fooled everyone with that massive 28.9-point, three-touchdown explosion in Week 1. What a mirage that was! Since then, it’s been a total bust. Over his last three games, he’s averaged just 4.5 fantasy points and a pathetic 22.3 rushing yards per game. He hasn’t even sniffed 60 rushing yards in any game this entire year, even counting that Week 1 outlier.
Since Week 2, Montgomery sports the second-fewest yards per carry at 2.7, the lowest success rate at 23.4%, and the lowest explosive run rate at 2.1% among all running backs. He’s losing snaps and drives to Woody Marks, which tells you everything you need to know about how the Texans feel about his current form.
For Week 5, as crazy as it might sound, Hurts is absolutely outside the top-12 quarterbacks. You can, and probably should, bench him for streamers like Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, or C.J. Stroud. As for Montgomery, if you’ve got other options, you know what to do. It’s time to adjust your expectations, and your lineup, for both these guys, because their early season trends are not looking good.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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