C. J. Stroud or Dak Prescott Week 5 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy football projections for QBs

C.J. Stroud and Dak Prescott are each trying to lead their respective Texas-based teams to the playoffs this year and fantasy football managers have a choice to make between the two of them. Both of them are on good teams that are expected to win more games than lose, so there will have to be some tough decisions.

The Dallas Cowboys have flattered to deceive this year. They have beaten the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants but they are not the strongest teams this year either. And they are coming up against a good Pittsburgh Steelers team in Week 5. But Pittsburgh suffered their first loss of the season against the Indianapolis Colts last week, proving there is no sure thing in the NFL. If Dak Prescott can get playing, both teams might end the weekend with a 3-2 record.

The Houston Texans, meanwhile, are 3-1 after Week 4 but they have yet to be tested fully. They beat the Chicago Bears, Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars in close games but none of these teams are expected to make the playoffs this year based on how they have played.

When they faced the Minnesota Vikings, C.J. Stroud was pummeled to submission in a 34-7 loss. Their game against the Bills this Sunday will be one of the tougher games as Josh Allen et al look to bounce back from their loss against the Ravens.

Is C.J. Stroud a good pick in Week 5?

Stroud won the Rookie of the Year gong last year and he has kept up his good form this season too. In four games, he has already crossed 1,000 yards in passing and has six touchdowns to two interceptions. Those picks came in the game against the Vikings, showing he might need to play better against tougher opposition.

But overall he has done well and comes into Week 5 on the back of his best performance of the season. He had 345 yards passing against the Jaguars, two touchdowns, and no interceptions for a passer rating of 110.9, and came up clutch in the game-winning drive to win his head coach's praises. Fantasy football managers will hope that he is coming into form against a Buffalo Bills defense that let the Baltimore Ravens offense dominate against them.

Is Dak Prescott a good pick in Week 5?

Prescott is the highest-paid quarterback in the league for a reason and that is because he puts up good performances consistently. And while Stroud is being feted as a great quarterback, his numbers are not too dissimilar to the Dallas quarterback.

Dak Prescott also has more than 1,000 yards this season in four games and also has six touchdowns and two interceptions just like his Texans counterpart. Last week, he had a completion rate of over 80 percent, recorded two passing touchdowns, and no interceptions for a passer rating of 125.5. Fantasy football managers will hope that he can play that cleanly against the Steelers, whose coach had high praise for the player.

Whom should I start between C.J. Stroud and Dak Prescott in Week 5?

With both players showing similar stats, fantasy football managers face a hard choice choosing between C.J. Stroud and Dak Prescott. However, Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer tool takes into account all these considerations and gives us the results analytically.

C.J. Stroud vs Dak Prescott - Fantasy Football - Start 'Em Sit 'Em - Week 5 - 2024 NFL Season - Sportskeeda Optimizer

The tool tells managers to go with C.J. Stroud. He is coming into it with form from his previous performance, whereas the Giants outgained the Cowboys in yards in their last game but still lost.

Plus the Bills defense allows 321.8 all-purpose yards per game, whereas the Steelers are a tighter unit that gives up 261.3 yards per match, which is the fourth-best record in the league. All of that combines to make Dak Prescott the likelier candidate to bench for fantasy football owners.