Should I start Patrick Mahomes or Dak Prescott in Week 9?
Updated Nov 3, 9:36 AM ET. Week 10 answers post Tuesday.
Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott 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 Dak Prescott 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), Dak Prescott 146 (18.2 a game over 8 games).
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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.
QB18 · KC · bye 5
2026 vs pass yds line 4-3
- Market-based projection
- 16.0 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 198
QB20 · DAL · bye 14
2026 vs pass yds line 4-4
- Market-based projection
- 21.9 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 200
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The gap
- Board size300 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 Patrick Mahomes, and the board ranks him 198th overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Dak Prescott, and the board ranks him 200th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
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.
The market-based projection for Dak Prescott 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.
Patrick Mahomes's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.
This season through Week 8
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.
Through Week 8, Dak Prescott has been on the field for 100 percent of DAL snaps, dropped back 330 times and thrown 7.8 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 43 of 330 dropbacks and scrambled 17 times.
In Week 6 against GB he completed 34 of 54 passes for 258 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and ran 2 times for 7 yards.
In Week 7 against PHI he completed 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 8 yards.
In Week 8 against ARI he completed 19 of 29 passes for 195 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 6 times for 21 yards.
Their 2025 seasons
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.
In 2025 Dak Prescott played 17 games and scored 323.8 PPR points, 19.0 a game, finishing QB6.
He threw for 4552 yards on 600 attempts with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and ran for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns.
That came to 35.3 attempts a game at 7.6 yards an attempt.
He was on the field for 98 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Dak Prescott was available for 3 games more.
Head to head
In 2025 Patrick Mahomes scored 21.2 PPR points a game and Dak Prescott 19.0, 2.1 a game between them.
Patrick Mahomes finished QB11 that year and Dak Prescott QB6.
Dak Prescott had 98 more pass attempts than Patrick Mahomes, 600 to 502.
Dak Prescott had 965 more passing yards than Patrick Mahomes, 4552 to 3587.
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
Patrick Mahomes is off in Week 5 and Dak Prescott in Week 14, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Dak Prescott 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), Dak Prescott 146 (18.2 a game over 8 games).
Should I drop Patrick Mahomes for Dak Prescott?
No. Keep Patrick Mahomes: he projects 154 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (17.1 a game over 9 games), Dak Prescott 146 (18.2 a game over 8 games).
Both players in full
Week 9 on the board
- Is Patrick Mahomes playing Week 9?
- Is Dak Prescott playing Week 9?
- Chiefs depth chart
- Cowboys depth chart
- Week 9 QB rankings
- Week 9 fantasy rankings
- Week 9 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 9
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 9 kicker rankings
- Week 9 defense rankings
