Russell Wilson or Geno Smith: who should I start for Week 5?
Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks is the ninth-best performing fantasy quarterback and is breaking records in their post-Russell Wilson era. Four games into the new season, Smith has already set an NFL record by completing 77.3% of his passes.
Fans might wonder if Smith has always been a superior quarterback option for Seattle compared to Russell Wilson after Sunday's showing. Perhaps that's taking it too far, but Smith put up another good display, completing more than 75% of his passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He added another 49 yards and a score while rushing.
It appears that Seattle have truly entered a new era, although this week's game against the New Orleans Saints is not the nicest fixture. The Saints being favored by -5.5 suggests that Geno Smith might have to start looking downfield more often. Russell Wilson has had a sluggish start as the Denver Broncos' quarterback. He has also sustained a shoulder injury that may force him to miss the upcoming game.
All of this raises the question - is Geno Smith a better alternative in fantasy than Russell Wilson? Despite the extremely tiny sample size, the answer seems to be yes. Smith seems to be the better option to start right now if you own both of them because he is in better shape and form. The big Q next to Wilson's status is also a worry.
Geno Smith and Russell Wilson - key stats
Smith has scored at least 17 fantasy points in each match this season (with the exception of Week 2 against the stifling San Francisco 49ers unit). Smith scored 31.7 fantasy points in the shootout against the Detroit Lions in Week 4.
Smith has been one of the NFL's most accurate throwers this season, completing 75% of his passes. He passed for 1,037 yards and six TDs in four matches. His 72.4 QBR places him fifth in the League. Smith has thrown for at least 320 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games.
@brgridiron
Geno Smith has been outplaying Russell Wilson this season so far 😳 @brgridiron https://t.co/m6MzjIf8yy
Wilson completed 29 passes for 340 yards and a score in a 17-16 loss in the season opener versus the Seahawks. Wilson had his first win as a Bronco in Week 2 against the Houston Texans. He then completed 17 of 25 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4's game against the Las Vegas Raiders. He also ran for 29 yards and a touchdown, but Denver fell short 32-23.