Who Should I Draft? Jared Goff vs. Dak Prescott

Jared Goff and Dak Prescott had incredibly different seasons in 2024, yet still find themselves in a similar range when it comes to fantasy football drafts. It’s now a matter of rebounding vs. maintaining consistency, so which quarterback deserves the higher draft consideration?

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Jared Goff’s 2025 Fantasy Outlook

The Detroit Lions offense was clicking on all cylinders in 2024, leading to a league-leading 70 total touchdowns. Goff had his finest season yet, throwing for over 4,600 yards and 37 touchdowns, and finishing as the QB6.

For his style of play, an immobile pocket passer, Goff is surprisingly not a “safe” fantasy play but rather a boom-or-bust option. He had eight games with 15 or fewer fantasy points and five games with 25+, including a 41.1-point bomb against the Buffalo Bills.

Now, the Lions look to continue that success behind a well-built roster that has put them in contention in each of the past two seasons. But they’ll have to do it without their offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, and All-Pro center Frank Ragnow. Not to be dramatic, but those are two of the most important losses a unit could suffer in one offseason.

Detroit still boasts incredible talent in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs, and promising young players like Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams. The question isn’t if the offense will be fine without Johnson or Ragnow, but if they can reach the same ceiling.

We’ve already seen Goff’s ceiling. He has finishes of QB7 (twice) and QB6 in his best seasons between Los Angeles and Detroit. It’s taken a brilliant offensive play-caller and stacked supporting cast to elevate him to that level, so the floor is a bit scary if you remove those benefits.

While I believe Goff and the offense will be plenty good in 2025, it’s hard to envision them being any better.

Dak Prescott’s 2025 Fantasy Outlook

It was not a kind season for Prescott last year. The Dallas Cowboys missed the playoffs and were just 3-5 before he went down with a torn hamstring. Prescott’s 14.6 points per game were the lowest of his career, which included a 3.2-point stinker against a susceptible Detroit defense.

While not as gruesome as his first season-ending lower body injury, this is now the second one to end Prescott’s season early. His rushing output has nearly halved since that first injury, so don’t expect him to regain that value boost. It did not, however, limit Prescott’s ceiling, with finishes as QB7 and QB3 in the two full years he’s played following that initial injury.

On one hand, the Cowboys are returning the offensive play-caller behind Prescott’s poor start. Brian Schottenheimer will not only lead the offense again — he now has extra responsibilities as the team’s head coach. It’s possible that the continuity helps everyone, or that Schottenheimer’s expanded role hurts what was already a struggling unit.

On the other hand, the offense is an upgraded group. Dallas’ young offensive line is more experienced, and adding guard and first-round pick Tyler Booker to replace an aging and injured Zack Martin should be an upgrade.

While the run game may still be in flux, the addition of George Pickens gives the Cowboys’ passing game a threat opposite CeeDee Lamb that’s been missing since trading away Amari Cooper.

Prescott’s health has usually been the only thing to hold him back. If he’s fully recovered and can play most of the season, there’s little reason to think he won’t be a top-10 quarterback.

Who Should I Draft in 2025?

Without much hesitation, I’d prefer Prescott in most cases. Goff is likely due for some regression, yet his highs have been strong enough that he’s still a reasonable starting fantasy quarterback. But he’s not a stable or reliable week-to-week option and instead relies on boom weeks. I worry that inconsistency could show up more often, especially with lower ceilings now that Johnson and Ragnow are gone.

Meanwhile, Prescott’s situation has improved quite a bit. Pickens is a risky bet, but his upside makes him a strong potential fantasy piece.

Hitting on a Prescott “on year” has been very rewarding in fantasy throughout his career. If he’s hurt, you can move on. Goff will likely be available every game, but he’s more of a start/sit headache across the season.

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