# Will Jalen Hurts benefit from Eli Stowers and Makai Lemon as new targets in 2026?

Yes — Jalen Hurts should benefit from both new targets, though the impact looks different for each. Here's the breakdown:

**Makai Lemon (1st-round WR, USC)** — This is the bigger fantasy story. With A.J. Brown traded to the Patriots, Lemon steps into a massive role. ESPN projects **98 targets, 62 catches, 883 yards, and 5 TDs** in 2026, making him a WR3/flex candidate right away (from the Makai Lemon page). New OC Sean Mannion's West Coast system distributes targets more evenly than the old Brown-centric approach, which could actually smooth out Hurts' weekly floor. The Fantasy Headliners had a note of caution though: *"We love Makai Lemon, but he's going to do just enough to infuriate DeVonta Smith owners, but not nearly enough to be fantasy viable every week"* — [hear the clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS3vJHAMmQY&t=891s). And Fantasy Points raised concerns about how Lemon fits with Hurts in what's historically a run-heavy offense — [hear the clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buw0fyY0tr8&t=646s).

**Eli Stowers (2nd-round TE, Vanderbilt)** — More of a long-term piece. He's a top-10 dynasty TE with elite athleticism (45.5" vertical, 4.51 forty), but Dallas Goedert is still on a one-year deal. In 2026, he'll be a matchup weapon in two-TE sets, not a weekly volume driver for Hurts (from the Eli Stowers page). Sal Vetri noted realistically: *"That's just never going to be the case for Eli Stowers... he's not going to play inside, he's not going to play in-line"* — [hear the clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pFw0YYkDc&t=270s).

**Bottom line:** Hurts loses a true alpha in Brown, but gains two legitimate middle-of-field targets who fit Mannion's timing-based scheme. The Eagles also didn't invest in the run game in the draft, so **passing volume stays high**. Hurts' dual-threat upside keeps him in the QB1 conversation, though he's now working with a committee approach rather than a star-dependent one (from the Jalen Hurts page).

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Answered 2026-06-22 by ChatFFB — fantasy football answers from a live news wiki.
Source: https://chatffb.com/ask/will-jalen-hurts-benefit-from-eli-stowers-and-makai-lemon-as-new-targe