Should I start Baker Mayfield or Patrick Mahomes in Week 8?
Updated Nov 3, 4:36 AM ET. Week 9 answers post Tuesday.
Week 8 verdict
Start Patrick Mahomes over Baker Mayfield
Right: 25.4 to 1.4Mahomes projects lower, 15.9 to 16.0, and still gets the call because it also weighs where drafters take each player: ADP 107 for Mahomes, 133 for Mayfield.
- Market projected
- 15.9
- pre-game
- DEN D vs QB
- 16.1
- 12th fewest to QBs (2026)
- Scored
- 25.4
- 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 Patrick Mahomes: 100 percent of the snaps and 0 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 Baker Mayfield for Patrick Mahomes?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Patrick Mahomes projects 154 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (17.1 a game over 9 games), Baker Mayfield 129 (16.1 a game over 8 games).
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
Your next move
More fantasy football tools and rankings, all built from the same board.
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
QB17 · KC · bye 5
2026 vs pass yds line 4-3
- Market-based projection
- 16.0 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 124
Make this call for your own roster
Sync your league and My Team sets this week's lineup for your actual roster, spot by spot. Free, no account.
Or get it by email
Tuesday 7am ET: one email with what moved on the board and who is worth a claim.
Free. One a week, one tap to stop.
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 Patrick Mahomes, and the board ranks him 124th overall on the rest of his evidence.
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 Patrick Mahomes is 1.4 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, Patrick Mahomes has been on the field for 100 percent of KC snaps, dropped back 254 times and thrown 5.8 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 41 of 254 dropbacks and scrambled 13 times.
In Week 6 against LAC he completed 23 of 30 passes for 272 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 3 times for 19 yards.
In Week 7 against SEA he completed 19 of 33 passes for 165 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 14 yards.
In Week 8 against DEN he completed 30 of 41 passes for 321 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 6 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 Patrick Mahomes played 14 games and scored 296.7 PPR points, 21.2 a game, finishing QB11.
He threw for 3587 yards on 502 attempts with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and ran for 422 yards and 5 touchdowns.
That came to 35.9 attempts a game at 7.1 yards an attempt.
He was on the field for 97 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Baker Mayfield was available for 3 games more.
Head to head
In 2025 Patrick Mahomes scored 21.2 PPR points a game and Baker Mayfield 16.6, 4.5 a game between them.
Baker Mayfield finished QB12 that year and Patrick Mahomes QB11.
Baker Mayfield had 41 more pass attempts than Patrick Mahomes, 543 to 502.
Baker Mayfield had 106 more passing yards than Patrick Mahomes, 3693 to 3587.
This season Patrick Mahomes 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 Patrick Mahomes in Week 5, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Baker Mayfield for Patrick Mahomes?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Patrick Mahomes projects 154 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (17.1 a game over 9 games), Baker Mayfield 129 (16.1 a game over 8 games).
Should I drop Patrick Mahomes for Baker Mayfield?
No. Keep Patrick Mahomes: he projects 154 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (17.1 a game over 9 games), Baker Mayfield 129 (16.1 a game over 8 games).
Both players in full
Week 8 on the board
- Is Baker Mayfield playing Week 8?
- Is Patrick Mahomes playing Week 8?
- Buccaneers depth chart
- Chiefs 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
