Week 6 Fantasy Football Quarterback Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Jalen Hurts vs. Dak Prescott
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Starting the right quarterback is crucial in fantasy football each week. Ahead of Week 6, managers could be faced with deciding between Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott at the QB spot.
With Hurts taking on the Carolina Panthers at home and Prescott facing the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, which NFC East QB is the better play in fantasy football in Week 6?
All stats used in this article are from PFF or Sumer Sports unless stated otherwise. Fantasy rankings and fantasy point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.
Jalen Hurts
Across the first two weeks of the season, Hurts was the QB9 in fantasy points per game (21.4). However, Hurts is the QB27 in fantasy points per game (13.4) over the last three weeks.
The Eagles are 2-3 😳
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 14, 2026
It's the first time they've been under .500 since 2021, snapping a streak of 76 straight games without being under .500, which was the longest active streak in the NFL.
Jalen Hurts is feeling the effects of missing his offensive linemen; he has been… pic.twitter.com/4YQM2G7bas
Even with DeVonta Smith potentially returning in Week 6, Hurts has the fifth-fewest yards per attempt (6.1) and third-lowest adjusted completion percentage (68.9%) among 29 QBs with 100-plus dropbacks.
Despite the Eagles squaring off against a Panthers defense that is 21st in dropback success rate (47.8%), it’s tough to trust Hurts in lineups right now, especially with Philly not earning as many tush-push opportunities.
Dak Prescott
Prescott supplied a season-low 14.6 fantasy points in Week 5, but he is still the QB10 in fantasy points per game (19.4) entering Week 6. Additionally, it’s a positive sign for Prescott to see that CeeDee Lamb was a full practice participant on Wednesday after suffering a quad injury in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Total QBR Leaderboard through Week 5
— SFdata9ers🏈📊 (@sfdata9ers) October 14, 2026
1. Brock Purdy 85.5
2. Lamar Jackson 80.3
3. Dak Prescott 79.0
4. Josh Allen 77.9
5. Joe Burrow 75.3 pic.twitter.com/uifYCaN7Jd
Of the 30 QBs with 100-plus plays in 2026, Prescott is fifth in adjusted EPA/play (0.27) and fourth in success rate (52.0%).
While the Packers are eighth in dropback EPA (0.00) and sixth in fantasy points per game allowed to QBs (13.8), they’ve benefitted from facing backup QBs (Jalon Daniels, Tyson Bagent) in each of their last two games.
Final Verdict: Start Dak Prescott
Assuming Lamb is active for the Cowboys in Week 6, Prescott is the better fantasy football option over Hurts. Prescott has been more consistent in a better offensive environment, and Green Bay’s pass defense isn’t as good as the metrics have shown.
More trust is placed on Prescott than Hurts, with the Cowboys ranking eighth in neutral pass rate (55.8%) across the first five weeks of the 2026 campaign. Meanwhile, the Eagles are 25th in neutral pass rate (48.4%) through Week 5 despite Saquon Barkley missing recent games.
With Hurts having a lower rushing floor than in previous years, Prescott has a decent edge over him when setting fantasy football lineups in Week 6.
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Skyler Carlin is an experienced sports writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, college football, college basketball, and soccer for FanDuel Research and USA Today. Outside of writing, he enjoys cooking, watching movies, and playing video games.
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