Should I start Cam Ward or Patrick Mahomes in Week 8?

Updated Oct 27, 4:16 PM ET. Week 9 answers post Tuesday.

Cam Ward and Patrick Mahomes are too close to call on usage: 100 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets against 100 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets over their last 3 games. 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 Cam Ward for Patrick Mahomes?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Patrick Mahomes projects 174 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (17.4 a game over 10 games), Cam Ward 112 (12.4 a game over 9 games).

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Your next move

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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.

Cam Ward

QB18 · TEN · bye 9

2026 vs pass yds line 3-4

Market-based projection: 10.4 pts a game Wk 7 price
Overall rank: 125

Patrick Mahomes

QB20 · KC · bye 5

2026 vs pass yds line 3-3

Market-based projection: 16.3 pts a game Wk 7 price
Overall rank: 133

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The gap

Board size293 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 Cam Ward, and the board ranks him 125th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 43.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Patrick Mahomes, and the board ranks him 133rd overall on the rest of his evidence.

The market-based projections

The market-based projection for Cam Ward is 1.3 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.

The market-based projection for Patrick Mahomes is 1.2 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.

Cam Ward's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.

This season through Week 7

Through Week 7, Cam Ward has been on the field for 100 percent of TEN snaps, dropped back 232 times and thrown 7.0 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 29 of 232 dropbacks and scrambled 13 times.

In Week 5 against HOU he completed 23 of 36 passes for 170 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 1 time for 2 yards.

In Week 6 against IND he completed 11 of 22 passes for 102 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 8 yards.

In Week 7 against CLE he completed 20 of 31 passes for 181 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 5 yards.

Through Week 7, Patrick Mahomes has been on the field for 100 percent of KC snaps, dropped back 210 times and thrown 6.0 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 31 of 210 dropbacks and scrambled 12 times.

In Week 4 against LV he completed 15 of 30 passes for 225 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 1 yards.

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.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Cam Ward played 17 games and scored 193.7 PPR points, 11.4 a game, finishing QB22.

He threw for 3169 yards on 540 attempts with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and ran for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns.

That came to 31.8 attempts a game at 5.9 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 100 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.

Cam Ward was available for 3 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Patrick Mahomes scored 21.2 PPR points a game and Cam Ward 11.4, 9.8 a game between them.

Cam Ward finished QB22 that year and Patrick Mahomes QB11.

Cam Ward had 38 more pass attempts than Patrick Mahomes, 540 to 502.

Patrick Mahomes had 418 more passing yards than Cam Ward, 3587 to 3169.

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

Cam Ward is off in Week 9 and Patrick Mahomes in Week 5, so either can cover the other's bye.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Cam Ward for Patrick Mahomes?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Patrick Mahomes projects 174 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (17.4 a game over 10 games), Cam Ward 112 (12.4 a game over 9 games).
Should I drop Patrick Mahomes for Cam Ward?
No. Keep Patrick Mahomes: he projects 174 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (17.4 a game over 10 games), Cam Ward 112 (12.4 a game over 9 games).

Should I drop Cam Ward?