Who Should I Start? Jalen Hurts or C.J. Stroud

Sunday, October 5, 10:54 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had a strong day for his fantasy managers through the air, but it came in the team's first loss of the season in a 21-17 defeat at home to the Denver Broncos in Week 5. Hurts went 23-for-38 passing for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. The 27-year-old only ran the ball two times for three yards while being sacked a season-high six times for a loss of 23 yards. Hurts' pass attempts, completions, and passing yardage were all season highs, and he has now thrown for multiple touchdown passes in the last three weeks. Given the strong defensive opponent, Hurts' overall performance was pretty impressive, but he was also unable to close out the visiting Broncos after leading for the majority of the game. Hurts has high-end QB1 upside because he can do it with both his arms and his legs, and he'll have a better matchup on Thursday night in Week 6 when the Eagles play the division-rival New York Giants.

Sunday, October 5, 5:35 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 23 of 27 pass attempts for 244 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 5 win over the Baltimore Ravens. He also broke off a 30-yard rush and took two sacks. The former No. 2 pick showed flashes of his rookie self as the Texans took advantage of an injury-riddled Ravens defense. Stroud set his season high in completion rate, passing yards, and passing touchdowns along the way. This was a very soft matchup for the young quarterback, so Sunday's result doesn't necessarily mean he's back to being a high-end QB1 every week. However, at the very least, the big game should give him some confidence going forward and give the Texans something to build off of and learn from. Houston has a Week 6 bye, which means they'll have an extra week to figure out what went right as they develop their game plan for Week 7 against Seattle.