Week 17 QB Start/Sit Decisions: Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts and More?

The quarterback position has been a tricky one for fantasy football owners to figure out all season. Some of the highest drafted QBs have been average fantasy options this year, while a multitude of injuries has devastated the position.

As the weekend slate of week 17 games near, it’s time to determine the best starting options. We’ll discuss several QBs that appear in the FantasySP start/sit tool.

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Quarterback Options for Week 17

Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott is a popular name amongst quarterbacks, and he plays Saturday against the Detroit Lions. Speaking of the Lions, let’s throw Jared Goff into this discussion as well.

Prescott is part of trending decisions with Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. Goff is part of a trending decision with Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields. If we throw in the quarterbacks that are part of trending decisions with Hurts, Allen and Fields, we add San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud into the mix. Stroud is part of another decision with Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, and I also went to include him in this discussion.

Prescott had been enjoying a big season up until week 15, when he failed to throw for a touchdown and only had 134 passing yards. He bounced back in week 16 with 253 passing yards and two scores.

The Cowboys’ quarterback has thrown for 249 yards or more in all but four games this season. He only has two games without a touchdown pass, while having nine multi-touchdown performances. Prescott also has rushed for 237 yards and two scores this season.

Goff has pretty quietly been one of the better fantasy quarterbacks this season. He’s topped 200 passing yards in all but one game, and only has one game without a touchdown pass. Goff has eight multi-touchdown efforts this year.

He doesn’t add much as a ball carrier, but has scored twice on the ground for the Lions.

Hurts has pretty mediocre passing numbers this season, but has remained a fantasy stud because of his ability to score on sneak plays. He’s failed to top 200 passing yards five times this season, and only has five games with multiple touchdown passes.

Hurts has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all but four contests. He’s scored two touchdowns in four games.

Allen is a dual-threat QB himself, but has much better passing stats than Hurts. He’s been under 200 passing yards just three times, while going over 300 yards four times. Allen has thrown at least one touchdown in every game, and has eight games with multiple passing scores.

Allen has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all but four games. He’s scored two rushing touchdowns on two occasions.

Fields’ play this season has been all over the board. He’s only got two games with multiple touchdown passes, and he threw four TDs in both instances. Fields hasn’t reached 200 passing yards in five of his 11 games played and has only avoided an interception in four contests.

Fields is also a great rushing threat, with 10 games of at least 25 rushing yards. He’s only scored three times on the ground though.

Purdy arguably was the MVP favorite going into week 16, but then tossed four interceptions in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It was just the second game this season that he failed to throw a touchdown pass, and he’s had multiple passing scores on eight occasions.

Purdy has a pair of rushing scores on the season, but just 140 rushing yards total. 

Stroud is expected to return this week after missing two straight games. He’s enjoyed quite the rookie season, and also had his name in the MVP conversation for a bit.

Stroud has topped 200 yards in all but three games (with another game at 199 yards). He’s thrown a touchdown pass in all but three of his 13 games played and has seven multi-touchdown days. Stroud has rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

Stafford has an outside chance of being named MVP after a recent hot streak. He’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in five straight games, and now has six for the season. Stafford has gone over 200 passing yards in all but two games.

Interceptions have really been his only negative, with a pick in seven contests, but he’s avoided them the past four games. Stafford does not have a rushing score on the season.

Who to Start

In the weekly projections, all eight of these quarterbacks appear inside the top 10. Prescott is the top-ranked QB at No. 1 overall, while Fields is the lowest at No. 10.

Purdy has the best matchup on paper, while Allen, Goff and Stroud are all tied for the toughest matchups.

After his disastrous showing last week, many fantasy owners are going to bench Purdy this week. I’d start him confidently against the lowly Washington Commanders' defense, and think he has a great chance of being QB1 for the week.

I’d take Prescott second in his clash with the Lions, followed by Hurts against the Arizona Cardinals. Give me Stafford against the New York Giants next, and then Allen against the New England Patriots.

I think Goff also has a big game against the Cowboys on Saturday, but I just can’t take him over those other guys. I’d take Stroud over Fields for my last spot, simply based on the fact that Stroud has been the more consistent fantasy option this season.

Good luck this week!