Start Baker Mayfield or Aaron Rodgers? Week 8

Updated Oct 28, 8:16 PM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 9 answer posts Tuesday.

Latest

Oct 22, 4:48 PM ET: Barring setbacks, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield expected to start vs. Panthers (ESPN)

Start Baker Mayfield over Aaron Rodgers

Start

Baker Mayfield

QB · TB · vs ATL

Market projects: 16.1; fantasy pts
ATL D vs QB: 18.0; 13th most to QBs (2026)
Upside: Limited; 30 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 96%; Through Week 7

Sit

Aaron Rodgers

QB · PIT · vs CLE

Market projects: 16.1; fantasy pts
CLE D vs QB: 15.4; 8th fewest to QBs (2026)
Upside: Limited; 19 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 99%; Through Week 7

Should I drop Aaron Rodgers for Baker Mayfield?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Baker Mayfield projects 144 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (16.0 a game over 9 games), Aaron Rodgers 131 (14.6 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Baker Mayfield over Aaron Rodgers, 16.1 to 16.1 projected PPR points.

Parlae may earn a commission from price links.

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.

Sync my league

Sleeper ESPN Yahoo

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.

Our Week 8 call

Start Baker Mayfield over Aaron Rodgers in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Baker Mayfield at 16.1 points and Aaron Rodgers at 16.1, a gap of 0.0. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. Both numbers are scaled up from a partial market: not every stat the position needs is posted yet, so the rest is estimated from what is. Drafters take Baker Mayfield at ADP 133 and Aaron Rodgers at 231.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 16.1 fantasy points for Baker Mayfield, with 80 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Baker Mayfield is 216 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns and 0.2 rushing touchdowns (13, 13 and 12 market sources).

Player markets imply 16.1 fantasy points for Aaron Rodgers, with 70 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Aaron Rodgers is 220 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns and 0.1 rushing touchdowns (7, 9 and 8 market sources).

Week 8 matchups

Baker Mayfield and TB host ATL on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

ATL allowed 18.0 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 7 games, the 13th most in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 271 yards and 1.6 touchdowns a game against ATL, with 0.4 interceptions a game.

Aaron Rodgers and PIT host CLE on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

CLE allowed 15.4 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 7 games, the 8th fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 221 yards and 1.6 touchdowns a game against CLE, with 0.7 interceptions a game.

By points allowed to the position, Baker Mayfield has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Baker Mayfield is not on the injury report.

Aaron Rodgers is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Baker Mayfield played 96 percent of TB snaps, dropped back 129 times and threw an average of 8.2 air yards per attempt.

Baker Mayfield, Week 1 against CIN: 57 of 57 snaps, 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 4 carries for 31 yards.

Baker Mayfield, Week 2 against CLE: 65 of 65 snaps, 21 of 34 passes for 182 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 4 carries for 29 yards.

Baker Mayfield, Week 3 against MIN: 65 of 69 snaps, 17 of 34 passes for 217 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 2 carries for 6 yards.

Baker Mayfield, Week 7 against CAR: 57 of 63 snaps, 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 1 carry for 1 yards.

Through Week 7, Aaron Rodgers played 99 percent of PIT snaps, dropped back 286 times and threw an average of 7.5 air yards per attempt.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 4 against CLE: 72 of 72 snaps, 22 of 40 passes for 299 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 5 against IND: 58 of 60 snaps, 22 of 31 passes for 235 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 1 carry for 6 yards.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 6 against TB: 79 of 79 snaps, 33 of 47 passes for 253 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 7 against NO: 64 of 64 snaps, 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 1 carry for 8 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Baker Mayfield played 17 games for TB and scored 282.9 PPR points, 16.6 a game, finishing QB12.

He completed 343 of 543 passes for 3693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and ran 55 times for 382 yards and 1 touchdown.

He was on the field for 97 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Aaron Rodgers played 16 games for PIT and scored 234.1 PPR points, 14.6 a game, finishing QB18.

He completed 327 of 498 passes for 3322 yards, 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and ran 21 times for 61 yards and 1 touchdown.

He was on the field for 95 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 8 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 8, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Aaron Rodgers for Baker Mayfield?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Baker Mayfield projects 144 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (16.0 a game over 9 games), Aaron Rodgers 131 (14.6 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Baker Mayfield over Aaron Rodgers, 16.1 to 16.1 projected PPR points.
Should I drop Baker Mayfield for Aaron Rodgers?
No. Keep Baker Mayfield: he projects 144 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (16.0 a game over 9 games), Aaron Rodgers 131 (14.6 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Baker Mayfield over Aaron Rodgers, 16.1 to 16.1 projected PPR points.

Should I drop Aaron Rodgers?