Who Should I Start? Jalen Hurts or Drake Maye

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.

Saturday, October 4, 9:29 AM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has been playing some of the best football of his young career and should be deployed as a mid-range QB1 in most leagues during Week 5. He takes on the Buffalo Bills this week, and while that's a tougher matchup, it should at least lead to some garbage-time opportunities, if not steady, consistent production in a potentially close game. The Bills have actually been relatively soft this year, allowing the most rushing touchdowns and 13th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, as well as just one interception. That bodes well for Maye, who is the overall QB4 so far while contributing 988 passing yards, 98 rushing yards, nine total touchdowns, and two interceptions. Maye should be started in most fantasy leagues this week given his extreme success and relatively favorable matchup.