Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts and Deebo Samuel appeared at their respective team practices this week, but that does not mean they will play in Week 17.

Hurts is officially listed as doubtful with the shoulder injury that forced him to sit out the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Samuel has been out with knee and ankle injuries since Week 14. His status is still uncertain for Sunday.

Fantasy football players may have gotten excited when they saw the news of Hurts and Samuel at practice, but they will likely have a minimal impact on fantasy matchups in Week 17.

Below is a look at the other injuries affecting the fantasy landscape in Week 17.

• Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI: doubtful (shoulder), per NFL.com
• Deebo Samuel, WR, SF: out (knee, ankle)
• Alvin Kamara, RB, NO: full participant in practice (quad)
  
• Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL: out (leg)
  
• Colt McCoy, QB, ARI: out (concussion)
  
• Antonio Gibson, RB, WSH: out (knee/foot)
  
• Tua Tagovailoa, QB, MIA: out (concussion)
  
• DeAndre Hopkins, WR, ARI: questionable (knee)
  
• Christian Watson, WR, GB: questionable (hip)
  
• Chris Olave, WR, NO: questionable (hamstring)
  
• Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA: limited participant in practice (hand)
  
• Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC: limited participant in practice (knee)
  
• Jerry Jeudy, WR, DEN: limited participant in practice (ankle)
  

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Hurts Officially Listed as Doubtful

Hurts made an appearance at Eagles practice in each of the last two days. Despite that, the QB is officially listed as doubtful with the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears.

Philadelphia will host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and Gardner Minshew will likely make his second straight start.

Nick Sirianni and the Eagles coaching staff should have trust in Minshew's ability to earn the win after he came close to beating the Dallas Cowboys on the road on Christmas Eve.

The 26-year-old came through for fantasy football players last week, as he threw for 355 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though he tossed two interceptions.

Still, Minshew's comfort level in the Eagles offense makes him the ideal replacement for Hurts.

The fantasy status of running back Miles Sanders, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert should not be affected by Minshew's presence in the pocket.

If Minshew is unavailable in your league, Mike White, Brock Purdy and Teddy Bridgewater are among the possible Hurts replacements.

Those aren't ideal options, but they're likely the best you can get with the current status of quarterbacks across the NFL.

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Samuel Back at Practice

Samuel made an appearance at 49ers practice Thursday, but he was doing individual work instead of participating in team drills. He has been dealing with knee and ankle injuries, and Week 17 may be too soon for the 49ers to bring him back.

Fantasy football players would love to see Samuel on the field, but the team should be able to handle the Las Vegas Raiders without him. The last thing the 49ers want is to rush him back and for him to get hurt before the postseason starts.

San Francisco scored 37 points in Week 16 as George Kittle had a pair of touchdown catches, Brandon Aiyuk had 81 receiving yards and Jauan Jennings had a pair of catches.

If Samuel is active, he would likely be on a snap count as the 49ers work him back into the offense after two weeks off.

Washington's Jahan Dotson, Arizona's Marquise Brown and Isaiah Hodgins of the New York Giants are among the waiver-wire pickups you can make if you still need wide receiver help.

The Philadelphia Eagles have officially ruled Jalen Hurts as doubtful for Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Marcus Maye is out. Major situation against this opponent pic.twitter.com/Iecj2Grpg0

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) December 30, 2022

But according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Hurts has made major progress in returning from his right shoulder injury this week after missing the team's Week 16 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.

#Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (shoulder) is doubtful to play Sunday, but sources say he made significant strides this week in returning to practice and the team is very confident he’ll return in the short term. Hurts has been pushing to play, but his health and safety comes first. pic.twitter.com/NZKPFkzXCT

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 30, 2022

Per Tim McManus of ESPN, however, the Eagles plan to rest Hurts against the Saints in what may be a precautionary measure given that progression:

The Eagles plan to rest Jalen Hurts against the Saints.

The decision came down to a health and safety issue, a source said, as Sirianni referenced today.

Hurts’ functionality in his shoulder has progressed to a point where the team expects him back on the field soon.

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 30, 2022

The Eagles could clinch both the NFC East crown and the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs with a win Sunday, along with helping to improve the 2023 first-round pick owed to them by the Saints.

Hurts could still see playing time in the regular season if the Eagles handle business Sunday, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo:

The side note here is the #Giants are the #Eagles’ Week 18 opponent. So they’d be wise to handle their business this week against the #Colts and not have to worry about Jalen Hurts being an obstacle to the postseason.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 30, 2022

Hurts' injury has stalled a potential MVP season. The 24-year-old has thrown for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 67.3 percent of his passes while taking 35 sacks. He's also rushed for 747 yards and 13 scores.

The Eagles are 13-1 in his starts.

With Hurts out, Gardner Minshew will start for the second straight week. He offered a mixed bag against the Cowboys, throwing for 355 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

He's a solid backup option, and the 6-9 Saints are an easier matchup than the Cowboys. It will be up to Minshew to clinch the top overall seed in the NFC, or the Eagles will face a rivalry game against the New York Giants to close out the season with a lot on the line.

In a game where they could have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Dallas Cowboys 40-34 on Saturday at AT&T Stadium to drop to 13-2 on the season.

It was a very winnable game for the Gardner Minshew-led Eagles, but four turnovers, including two interceptions by Minshew, resulted in Philly dropping their second game of the season.

Minshew completed 24-of-40 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions in the loss. He also fumbled once, as did running back Miles Sanders.

Following the loss, NFL Twitter ripped the Eagles for their string of turnovers, three of which came in the second half:

Two fumbles by the Eagles RB for absolutely no reason lost them this game. Oh well. Next week win and clinch, looking forward to having to Jalen coming back.

— Pedro Rivera (@PedroRiveraTV) December 25, 2022

Turnovers did the #Eagles in. Quez has to fight harder on the two picks, failed exchange to Boston looked more on the RB from TV, and Miles fumble was bad

— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) December 25, 2022

Eagles had no business losing this game….until they decided to lose game not protecting the rock.

— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) December 25, 2022

Can’t turn the ball over that much and expect to win. Eagles are the better team, but way too sloppy without Hurts. Sanders ball security & Lane’s injury status are main takeaways

— Tyrone Johnson (@TyJohnsonNews) December 25, 2022

A lot of dumb mistakes in a game the Eagles should’ve won with a backup QB

— Bleeding Green Nation (@BleedingGreen) December 25, 2022

Like big picture, the eagles went to the wire on the road with a good team w it’s back up QB. Nothing to lose your sh*t over.

What makes it annoying is the fact that the eagles absolutely gave that game away lol

— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) December 25, 2022

Whatever. No reason it should’ve been that close with 4 turnovers. If they meet in the playoffs Dallas will lose by triple digits at the Linc with Hurts. Can’t wait.

Now the Eagles clinch the NFC and a Top 10 pick next week at home vs the Saints. Christmas not ruined. I think.

— Adam Smith (@SmittyBarstool) December 25, 2022

Cowboys get 20 points off 4 Eagles turnovers. Defense holds them to a field goal again. https://t.co/eB1TDtpkRp

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 25, 2022

4 turnovers by Eagles including 3 on their last 4 drives pic.twitter.com/17N1rPKB3o

— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) December 25, 2022

Eagles have had only one other game this season with 4 turnovers.

It was their only loss of the season.

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 25, 2022

The Eagles still have a very good chance of locking up the No. 1 seed, especially if Jalen Hurts returns to the lineup next weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

Hurts missed Saturday's game with a shoulder injury. Before the matchup, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the signal-caller would push to return to the field against the Saints if the Eagles lost to the Cowboys this week.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is "uncertain" for his team's Week 17 game against the New Orleans Saints, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Hurts suffered a shoulder injury during Philadelphia's Week 15 win over the Chicago Bears, which will force him to miss the team's highly anticipated Christmas Eve showdown with the rival Dallas Cowboys.

The SC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder could cause him to miss more time, depending on his recovery and the team's position in the standings.

From @NFLGameDay: #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, out today with an SC joint sprain, wants to play. But if Philly wins, playing him again in the regular season may not make sense. Either way, expect extreme caution. pic.twitter.com/AvCtrGjDqz

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 24, 2022

While the Eagles were firmly in control of the NFC East at the time of the setback, it was still disappointing for Hurts on an individual level since he was at the forefront of the MVP discussion.

He has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions to go with 747 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Philadelphia will turn toward Gardner Minshew II under center while Hurts is out. While he can't replicate the dual-threat impact the starter has on the field, he is a solid backup with starting experience. Minshew went 7-13 as a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and 2020 and also started two games for the 2021 Eagles.

The Eagles also have a number of offensive weapons in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Miles Sanders to help Minshew move the ball.

The 13-1 squad just needs to win one of its last three games to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss Saturday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Head coach Nick Sirianni indicated Gardner Minshew will likely be running the offense in Hurts' stead.

Sirianni on Jalen Hurts: “We felt it’s for the best he doesn’t go on Saturday.” The #Eagles HC lauded Hurts for how tough he was and how hard he worked to be ready this week. https://t.co/TRIFpvl4Pd

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 22, 2022

The NFL MVP candidate has led the Eagles to a 13-1 record by accounting for 35 touchdowns (22 passing, 13 rushing), 3,472 passing yards and 747 rushing yards.

He's proved to be a long-term solution at quarterback in Philadelphia, which has the No. 2 scoring offense in the NFL.

Hurts has been a full-time starter for the team since taking over for Carson Wentz in December 2020. In two years, the 24-year-old has shown the potential to become one of the game's top superstars for the next decade-plus.

The former Alabama and Oklahoma star went through the vast majority of the season without the threat of potentially missing time as Philadelphia racked up the wins.

Unfortunately, he suffered a sprained right (throwing) shoulder during the third quarter of his team's 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 18 after a tackle from defensive end Trevis Gipson.

He remained in the game and even uncorked a 68-yard pass to A.J. Brown late before running for a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Hurts finished out the contest, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that he was in danger of missing the Cowboys game. Good news emerged, though, as Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, stated that they did not believe this was a long-term injury.

Sirianni offered hope that Hurts could play, however, while noting Minshew was preparing to suit up.

That said, Nick Sirianni said he will get both Jalen Hurts and backup QB Gardner Minshew ready this week to face the Cowboys on Saturday.

"We’re going to have to have a plan for both guys to play," he said.

— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) December 20, 2022

Hurts also said he had a shot.

Jalen Hurts says he has a chance to play on Saturday vs. Cowboys #Eagles pic.twitter.com/etGpsHPP5j

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) December 20, 2022

Minshew is the next man up on the depth chart, and Ian Book sits behind him. The 26-year-old Minshew was the starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars for much of the 2019 and 2020 seasons before joining the Eagles as a backup in 2021. He has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 6,003 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 30 career games.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn't yet been ruled out for Saturday's crucial matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium despite a sprained shoulder.

"I'm feeling fine," Hurts told reporters Tuesday. "We're keeping this business as usual."

He also said there is "definitely a chance" he'll take the field against Philadelphia's NFC East rivals.

On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Hurts' status for the matchup was up in the air because of a sprained shoulder:

The Eagles and Jalen Hurts’ agent Nicole Lynn said they do not believe this is a long-term injury.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 19, 2022

"It wasn't the first time I've been slow [to get up]. It won't be the last," Hurts told reporters regarding the play in which he was hurt. "I did play a really physical game, and it was real cold too. So happy we were able to find a win and in the end find a way."

While a victory would clinch the NFC East for the Eagles (13-1), a loss wouldn't be all that detrimental. The Eagles only need to win one more contest this season or have the Cowboys (10-4) lose one more game to guarantee a division crown.

Likewise, the Eagles currently have a two-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) atop the NFC playoff picture and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Hurts, 24, is having a superb third season and is arguably neck-and-neck with Patrick Mahomes in the MVP conversation. Along with throwing for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions, completing 67.3 percent of his passes, he's rushed for 747 yards and 13 scores.

If Hurts is sidelined, Gardner Minshew will step into the starting role for Philadelphia. He has thrown just four passes this season, completing two of them for 34 yards. He started two games for the Eagles in 2021, throwing for 439 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in four total appearances.

The betting odds have shifted in favor of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to win NFL MVP at the end of the 2022 season. That's because an injury has occurred to the previous front-runner.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is dealing with a right shoulder sprain that could prevent him from playing in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. The ailment is "not considered a long-term injury," per McManus, but it could impact Hurts' chances of winning NFL MVP.

It's highly likely that the award will be going to a quarterback, unless something major happens over the final three weeks of the regular season to change that. Mahomes and Hurts are the top betting favorites, but the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen and the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow are also in the conversation.

Here's a look at the latest NFL MVP odds, followed by predictions for how the award race will shake out at the end of the regular season.

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Latest NFL MVP Odds

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: -350 (bet $350 to win $100)

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: +550 (bet $100 to win $550)

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen: +550

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow: +600

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa: +10000

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson: +10000

Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert: +13000

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill: +20000

Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: +20000

San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey: +25000

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

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Predictions

If Hurts ends up playing 16 games this season (or perhaps 17, if he ends up being able to suit up this week), there's still a good chance he'll win NFL MVP. The 24-year-old is having a tremendous season and has been instrumental to the Eagles going 13-1 thus far.

However, it doesn't seem likely Hurts will play that much, even if the injury isn't a long-term issue for him.

Philadelphia has already clinched a playoff berth, and it has a three-game lead over the second-place Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. The Eagles should clinch the division title soon. And they also have a two-game advantage for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Assuming that Philadelphia can clinch that top spot before Week 18, there may be no reason to play Hurts in the finale, especially if he isn't at 100 percent. It may prevent him from earning his first NFL MVP honor, but the Eagles' goal is to win the Super Bowl, and they need Hurts healthy in order to have a chance to do that.

So that's why Mahomes has emerged as the clear favorite to win MVP for the second time in his six-year NFL career. The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West, but they're 11-3, just like the Bills. Those two teams may be competing for the No. 1 seed (and the first-round bye that comes with it) all the way through Week 18.

That will give Mahomes more opportunities to rack up impressive numbers. Of course, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid believed his quarterback was the NFL MVP front-runner even before the news of Hurts' injury came out.

"If he's not the MVP in the league, I'm not sure what's wrong with them," Reid said following the Chiefs' win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.

Mahomes has been building a strong case. Through 14 games, the 27-year-old has thrown for 4,496 yards and 35 touchdowns, both NFL highs.

Kansas City closes out the regular season with games against the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, none of which have records above .500. So things are set up well for Mahomes and the Chiefs to have a strong finish.

Once that happens, it will be clear that Mahomes should be named NFL MVP, especially because Hurts' stats won't go up for however long he's sidelined.

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