Jalen Hurts vs Marcus Mariota: Who Should You Start?
There is a real production gap between these two quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) averaged 19.1 PPG over 16 games in 2025, outscoring Marcus Mariota (Washington Commanders, 12.0 PPG) by 7.1 points per week. That separation would need a significant matchup swing to overcome.
Jalen Hurts carries a 7.1-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 Marcus Mariota (1695 passing yards, 10 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
One scheduling note: Jalen Hurts is off Week 5 and Marcus Mariota Week 14. If these two are on your roster, you will need a fill-in quarterback for both weeks. DraftCall flags bye conflicts so you can plan ahead rather than panic on waivers.
