Bright Lights and Big Hype: This 2025 Rookie Needs to Evolve if He is Going to Live Up to Soaring Expectations

Kevin Szafraniec
February 28, 2026

Kevin Szafraniec breaks down the debut of one of the NFL’s hottest young rookies from 2025 and debates whether the growing hype will lead to fantasy championships in 2026.

Jalen Hurts was considered a raw prospect when he entered the NFL, yet he found himself thrust into the Eagles’ starting role before his rookie year was over. During his four games as a starter in 2020, Hurts put the entire league on notice by averaging 26.3 fantasy points per game.

Hurts relied on elite rushing and competent passing to build up hype for himself heading into his second season.

Although plenty of question marks remained heading into Year 2, Hurts continued to prove his doubters wrong by posting a QB9 finish in 2021, followed by two consecutive finishes inside the top three. While some critics continue to question Hurts’ ability as a passer to this day, his ability to create fantasy points with his legs has provided him with a solid floor in the five years since his explosive debut.

This past season, we saw another rookie come into the league and get thrust into a starting role. Like Hurts, this young signal caller received no shortage of attention as his dynamic skill set filled up box scores and highlight reels alike. However, there are some obvious flaws in his game that need to be ironed out before we should feel comfortable projecting him as a fantasy star for the long term.

Be sure to check out the previous installments of the 2025 Rookie Review Series:

Volume 1 of the 2026 RotoViz Rookie Draft Guide is out now! Jam-packed with comprehensive player profiles, advanced stats, player comps, strategies, and rankings from the RotoViz staff, it is a must-have for every fantasy manager who wants to crush their best ball, dynasty, and redraft leagues in 2026!

Keep an eye out for Volume 2, scheduled to release following the NFL Combine, and Volume 3, which will drop after the 2026 NFL Draft!

Call It Anything But Boring

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Kevin Szafraniec

Full-time Cat Dad, Sneakerhead, Record Collector, LOTR Fanboy, and Jeopardy Enthusiast. Fantasy football writer and beatmaker in my free time. Follow me on X and Bluesky @thecatdadff

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