Should I start Michael Penix Jr. or Jordan Mason in Week 8?

Updated Oct 28, 12:06 AM ET. Week 9 answers post Tuesday.

Latest

Oct 24, 4:49 PM ET: Vikings activate RB Jordan Mason off injured reserve (ESPN)

Start Michael Penix Jr.: 99 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets over their last 2 games, against Jordan Mason's 54 percent of the snaps and 52 percent of the carries. 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 Jordan Mason for Michael Penix Jr.?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Michael Penix Jr. projects 132 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (14.7 a game over 9 games), Jordan Mason 55 (5.5 a game over 10 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.

Michael Penix Jr.

QB15 · ATL · bye 11

2026 vs pass yds line 2-3

Overall rank: 97

Jordan Mason

RB33 · MIN · bye 6

2025 vs rush yds line 8-8

Market-based projection: 11.4 pts a game Wk 7 price
Overall rank: 98

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The gap

Board size295 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 Michael Penix Jr., and the board ranks him 97th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Jordan Mason, and the board ranks him 98th overall on the rest of his evidence.

The market-based projections

The market has Michael Penix Jr. at 16.2 PPR points a game off 4 markets across 5 market sources. That is 80 percent of what a quarterback's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

The market-based projection for Jordan Mason is 3.5 PPR points a game off 1 market across 11 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a running back's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

Michael Penix Jr.'s projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.

This season through Week 7

Through Week 7, Michael Penix Jr. has been on the field for 99 percent of ATL snaps, dropped back 34 times and thrown 6.1 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 0 of 34 dropbacks and scrambled 1 time.

In Week 7 against SF he completed 25 of 33 passes for 213 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 2 yards.

Through Week 7, Jordan Mason has been on the field for 54 percent of MIN snaps, taken 52 percent of the carries, drawn 4 percent of the targets and had 28 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 0 of the offence's 18 third down targets, had 1 of its 3 chances inside the five and seen 0 of its 1 two minute target.

His 2 targets have averaged 0.0 air yards.

In Week 1 against GB he carried 15 times for 59 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 7 against IND he carried 15 times for 68 yards, caught 0 of 2 targets for 0 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Michael Penix Jr. played 9 games and scored 123.3 PPR points, 13.7 a game, finishing QB33.

He threw for 1982 yards on 276 attempts with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and ran for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.

That came to 30.7 attempts a game at 7.2 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 93 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Jordan Mason played 16 games and scored 128.9 PPR points, 8.1 a game, finishing RB36.

He carried 159 times for 758 yards and 6 touchdowns, and caught 14 of 16 targets for 51 more yards.

That came to 9.9 carries a game at 4.8 yards a carry and 0.9 catches a game.

He was on the field for 44 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Jordan Mason was available for 7 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Michael Penix Jr. scored 13.7 PPR points a game and Jordan Mason 8.1, 5.6 a game between them.

Michael Penix Jr. finished QB33 and Jordan Mason RB36, which are two different ladders.

Michael Penix Jr. is a quarterback and Jordan Mason a running back, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Michael Penix Jr. is off in Week 11 and Jordan Mason in Week 6, so either can cover the other's bye.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Jordan Mason for Michael Penix Jr.?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Michael Penix Jr. projects 132 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (14.7 a game over 9 games), Jordan Mason 55 (5.5 a game over 10 games).
Should I drop Michael Penix Jr. for Jordan Mason?
No. Keep Michael Penix Jr.: he projects 132 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (14.7 a game over 9 games), Jordan Mason 55 (5.5 a game over 10 games).