Baker Mayfield or Joe Burrow: who should I start?

What the sportsbooks price

The player markets price Baker Mayfield at 16.5 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 18 books. That is the 25th highest figure of the 183 players the books price.

The player markets price Joe Burrow at 16.4 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 18 books. That is the 28th highest figure of the 183 players the books price.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Baker Mayfield: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 94th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 44.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Joe Burrow: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 101st overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 12.

This season through Week 1

Through Week 1, Baker Mayfield has been on the field for 100 percent of TB snaps, dropped back 36 times and thrown 5.1 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 6 of 36 dropbacks and scrambled 4 times.

In Week 1 against CIN he completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 4 times for 31 yards.

Through Week 1, Joe Burrow has been on the field for 100 percent of CIN snaps, dropped back 37 times and thrown 6.5 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 6 of 37 dropbacks and scrambled 1 time.

In Week 1 against TB he completed 25 of 35 passes for 254 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 4 times for 21 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Baker Mayfield played 17 games and scored 282.9 PPR points, 16.6 a game, finishing QB12.

He threw for 3693 yards on 543 attempts with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and ran for 382 yards and 1 touchdown.

That came to 31.9 attempts a game at 6.8 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 97 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Joe Burrow played 8 games and scored 139.5 PPR points, 17.4 a game, finishing QB29.

He threw for 1809 yards on 259 attempts with 17 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, and ran for 41 yards and 0 touchdowns.

That came to 32.4 attempts a game at 7.0 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 86 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Baker Mayfield was available for 9 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Joe Burrow scored 17.4 PPR points a game and Baker Mayfield 16.6, 0.8 a game between them.

Baker Mayfield finished QB12 that year and Joe Burrow QB29.

Baker Mayfield had 284 more pass attempts than Joe Burrow, 543 to 259.

Baker Mayfield had 1884 more passing yards than Joe Burrow, 3693 to 1809.

Their snap share this season is the same, 100 percent each.

Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.

Byes and availability

Baker Mayfield is off in Week 10 and Joe Burrow in Week 6, so either can cover the other's bye.

Joe Burrow is listed as questionable on the injury report.

What would change the answer

0.2 points a game is the entire case. The books restate it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the price, and this page will follow the sample rather than the books when it does.