Should I start Baker Mayfield or Justin Herbert in Week 8?
Updated Nov 3, 5:21 AM ET. Week 9 answers post Tuesday.
Week 8 verdict
Start Justin Herbert over Baker Mayfield
Right: 9.8 to 1.4
- Market projected
- 16.2
- pre-game
- LAR D vs QB
- 17.9
- 14th most to QBs (2026)
- Scored
- 9.8
- PPR pts
- Market projected
- 16.0
- pre-game
- ATL D vs QB
- 18.0
- 13th most to QBs (2026)
- Scored
- 1.4
- PPR pts
Start Justin Herbert: 100 percent of the snaps and 1 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Baker Mayfield's 95 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
Should I drop Justin Herbert for Baker Mayfield?
Not on these numbers alone. Justin Herbert projects 125 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (13.9 a game over 9 games) and Baker Mayfield 129 (16.1 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it.
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Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
QB9 · TB · bye 10
2026 vs pass yds line 1-4
- Market-based projection
- 16.0 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 14
QB21 · LAC · bye 7
2026 vs pass yds line 3-4
- Market-based projection
- 16.2 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 144
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The gap
- Board size297 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on Baker Mayfield, and the board ranks him 14th overall on the rest of his evidence.
In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 20.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Justin Herbert, and the board ranks him 144th overall on the rest of his evidence.
By format he goes standard: ADP 23; 2QB: ADP 12.
The market-based projections
No season market is posted for Baker Mayfield, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.
The market-based projection for Justin Herbert is 1.1 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 0 percent of what a quarterback's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
This season through Week 8
Through Week 8, Baker Mayfield has been on the field for 96 percent of TB snaps, dropped back 134 times and thrown 8.4 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 23 of 134 dropbacks and scrambled 10 times.
In Week 3 against MIN he completed 17 of 34 passes for 217 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 6 yards.
In Week 7 against CAR he completed 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 1 yards.
In Week 8 against ATL he completed 0 of 3 passes for 0 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 3 times for 15 yards.
Through Week 8, Justin Herbert has been on the field for 100 percent of LAC snaps, dropped back 255 times and thrown 7.4 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 48 of 255 dropbacks and scrambled 22 times.
In Week 5 against DEN he completed 14 of 23 passes for 121 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 6 times for 54 yards.
In Week 6 against KC he completed 22 of 37 passes for 204 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 5 times for 26 yards.
In Week 8 against LAR he completed 24 of 31 passes for 257 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions and ran 4 times for 15 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 Justin Herbert played 16 games and scored 299.9 PPR points, 18.7 a game, finishing QB10.
He threw for 3727 yards on 512 attempts with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and ran for 498 yards and 2 touchdowns.
That came to 32.0 attempts a game at 7.3 yards an attempt.
He was on the field for 97 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Baker Mayfield was available for 1 game more.
Head to head
In 2025 Justin Herbert scored 18.7 PPR points a game and Baker Mayfield 16.6, 2.1 a game between them.
Baker Mayfield finished QB12 that year and Justin Herbert QB10.
Baker Mayfield had 31 more pass attempts than Justin Herbert, 543 to 512.
Justin Herbert had 34 more passing yards than Baker Mayfield, 3727 to 3693.
This season Justin Herbert holds the bigger snap share, 100 percent against 96 percent.
Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.
Byes and availability
Baker Mayfield is off in Week 10 and Justin Herbert in Week 7, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Justin Herbert for Baker Mayfield?
Not on these numbers alone. Justin Herbert projects 125 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (13.9 a game over 9 games) and Baker Mayfield 129 (16.1 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it.
Should I drop Baker Mayfield for Justin Herbert?
Not on these numbers alone. Baker Mayfield projects 129 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.1 a game over 8 games) and Justin Herbert 125 (13.9 a game over 9 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it.
Both players in full
Week 8 on the board
- Is Baker Mayfield playing Week 8?
- Is Justin Herbert playing Week 8?
- Buccaneers depth chart
- Chargers depth chart
- Week 8 QB rankings
- Week 8 fantasy rankings
- Week 8 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 8
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 8 kicker rankings
- Week 8 defense rankings
