Week 6 Fantasy Football QB Who Should I Start? Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, and More
Comparing Dak Prescott to four quarterbacks that he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool.
Dak Prescott has started the season by putting up huge stats, ranking second in passing yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. That has come from volume more than efficiency, as Prescott leads the league in pass attempts with a very pedestrian 7.0 yards per pass attempt.
Fantasy owners are trying to decide if Dak will keep throwing the ball more than any other quarterback, one of the reasons he is showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool. With a ranking among the top 10 fantasy QBs, Prescott is heavily on the radar each week.
Let's look at Prescott and four guys he has been compared to often on the start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit start/sit exercise. Most stats are from NFL.com.
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Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys @ Carolina Panthers
I mentioned Prescott's plaudits above, and that includes 271.2 passing yards per game and a QB4 fantasy ranking. He doesn't do a ton of work on the ground, but Prescott has run for 50 yards and a touchdown; taking away those 11 fantasy points would move him down to QB10.
Carolina would seem to offer an easier matchup, but the numbers don't necessarily show that. They are actually a little better than average in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed, and they have given up the 10th-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
The Panthers haven't faced a murderer's row: Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray, Michael Penix, Drake Maye, and Tua Tagovailoa. The past two guys have done the best, combining for 459 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rushing touchdown.
I want to call Carolina a great matchup but can't put them much above middling right now based on the numbers. I'm cautiously optimistic about Prescott again having a good day.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers @ Miami Dolphins
This is one of the best matchups of the week: Miami has allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt and third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Dolphins are one of THE teams to go after with fantasy players at all positions.
Herbert started better, but injuries to his offensive line (and now running backs) have made things tougher up front. After ranking tied for QB6 after three weeks, Herbert was just QB18 over Weeks 4 and 5, and even that included 84 rushing yards.
He is still averaging nearly 250 yards in the air and over 30 yards on the ground, but things have been tougher for Herbert and his team the last two games. Maybe a nicer matchup will help them get back on track.
Advice: Start Justin Herbert over Dak Prescott. This is a strong chance to bounce back with a great matchup, making Herbert one of the most intriguing quarterbacks of the week.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions
Mahomes generally isn't part of the group that runs the ball often. He has averaged just over 20 yards per game on the ground in his career, a decent number but one that fits more with a scrambler than a runner. That was his style, and it worked well.
Partly because of necessity, Mahomes has done way more with his legs early in the season. He has reached at least 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground in three of five games. Mahomes combined for just seven rushing yards in the other two games, but Kansas City won both by multiple scores; Mahomes is using his legs when he has to.
With his receiving group getting healthy, that might become a less frequent occurrence. Mahomes reached 60 rushing yards exactly once in each of the past three seasons, so it's more likely that he finds less volume with his legs moving forward. His current iteration is his best fantasy self, as Mahomes is QB2 to this point.
The Lions are right in the middle in both yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to quarterbacks. Their offense is usually humming, so teams have to throw to keep up, and they have found a little success attacking the Lions at times. Detroit has been a little vulnerable to the run, giving up at least 30 QB rushing yards in three games but a combined three yards in the other two games.
Advice: This one is very 50/50. I'll say start Dak Prescott over Patrick Mahomes, but this is about as close as it gets.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots @ New Orleans Saints
Another guy ranked in the top 10, Maye was QB7 after Week 5. He does it both with his arm and his legs, averaging 252.2 passing yards per game with seven touchdowns and two interceptions and 22 rushing yards per game with two more scores; that type of production can be expected moving forward.
The Saints offer a good matchup, giving up the 11th-most yards per pass attempt and ninth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have also given up at least 38 quarterback rushing yards in three of their five games, looking susceptible against runners like Murray, Josh Allen, and Jaxson Dart.
Advice: Start Drake Maye over Dak Prescott. The matchup is better, and Maye's running pushes it over the top; he might be moving his way into weekly-starter status.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears @ Washington Commanders
There were high hopes for Williams coming into his second season. The first overall pick from 2024 had a rough rookie season, but now he had a revamped offensive line, good skill players at each position, and a savant play caller in Ben Johnson signed on as his head coach.
Williams has been fine: 231.8 passing yards per game on 7.1 per attempt with eight touchdowns and two interceptions and 27.5 rushing yards per game on the ground and another score. His fantasy scores look good in part because of that running, as Williams was sitting at QB6 before Chicago's Week 5 bye.
Washington has allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the 13th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Their better fantasy performance is driven by fewer touchdown passes allowed (eight in five games) and because the Commanders limit QB running, holding the position to 26.8 yards per game with no touchdowns.
Advice: Start Dak Prescott over Caleb Williams. This is another close one, but I like going after the Panthers more than I like going after the Commanders, even though Washington has shown some vulnerability against the pass.
