Start Dak Prescott or Matthew Stafford? Week 8

Updated Oct 27, 11:56 AM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 9 answer posts Tuesday.

Start Dak Prescott over Matthew Stafford

Prescott projects lower, 18.0 to 19.4, and still gets the call because it also weighs where drafters take each player: ADP 64 for Prescott, 75 for Stafford.

Start

Dak Prescott

QB · DAL · vs ARI

Market projects: 18.0; recent weeks avg
ARI D vs QB: 22.7; 3rd most to QBs (2026)
Upside: High; 91 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 100%; Through Week 7

Sit

Matthew Stafford

QB · LAR · vs LAC

Market projects: 19.4; recent weeks avg
LAC D vs QB: 15.2; 7th fewest to QBs (2026)
Upside: Limited; 9 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 98%; Through Week 7

Should I drop Matthew Stafford for Dak Prescott?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Dak Prescott projects 162 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (18.0 a game over 9 games), Matthew Stafford 149 (16.5 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Dak Prescott over Matthew Stafford.

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Our Week 8 call

Start Dak Prescott over Matthew Stafford in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Dak Prescott at 18.0 points and Matthew Stafford at 19.4, a gap of 1.4. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. Dak Prescott still gets the call because it also weighs where drafters take each player, ADP 64 against 75, and that outweighs a gap this size. No player market is posted for Dak Prescott this week yet, so his 18.0 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (18.3, 18.3 and 17.4); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Matthew Stafford this week yet, so his 19.4 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (20.7, 21.1 and 16.5); the call is rebuilt when his market posts.

What the market projects

No Week 8 player market is posted for Matthew Stafford yet. His market-based projections were 20.7, 21.1 and 16.5 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 19.4, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

No Week 8 player market is posted for Dak Prescott yet. His market-based projections were 18.3, 18.3 and 17.4 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 18.0, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

That puts Matthew Stafford 1.4 points ahead of Dak Prescott on these projections.

Week 8 matchups

Matthew Stafford and LAR host LAC on Sunday at 4:05 PM ET.

LAC allowed 15.2 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 6 games, the 7th fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 216 yards and 1.2 touchdowns a game against LAC, with 0.8 interceptions a game.

Dak Prescott and DAL host ARI on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

ARI allowed 22.7 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 7 games, the 3rd most in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 244 yards and 2.4 touchdowns a game against ARI, with 0.4 interceptions a game.

By points allowed to the position, Dak Prescott has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Matthew Stafford is not on the injury report.

Dak Prescott is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Matthew Stafford played 98 percent of LAR snaps, dropped back 290 times and threw an average of 8.0 air yards per attempt.

Matthew Stafford, Week 4 against PHI: 84 of 84 snaps, 32 of 51 passes for 317 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, 2 carries for 11 yards.

Matthew Stafford, Week 5 against BUF: 82 of 82 snaps, 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Matthew Stafford, Week 6 against ARI: 58 of 58 snaps, 25 of 33 passes for 222 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Matthew Stafford, Week 7 against LV: 72 of 72 snaps, 23 of 29 passes for 195 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Through Week 7, Dak Prescott played 100 percent of DAL snaps, dropped back 293 times and threw an average of 7.9 air yards per attempt.

Dak Prescott, Week 4 against HOU: 78 of 78 snaps, 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 7 yards.

Dak Prescott, Week 5 against TB: 60 of 60 snaps, 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Dak Prescott, Week 6 against GB: 78 of 78 snaps, 34 of 54 passes for 258 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, 2 carries for 7 yards.

Dak Prescott, Week 7 against PHI: 68 of 68 snaps, 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 8 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Matthew Stafford played 17 games for LAR and scored 358.4 PPR points, 21.1 a game, finishing QB3.

He completed 388 of 597 passes for 4707 yards, 46 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and ran 29 times for 1 yards and 0 touchdowns.

He was on the field for 99 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Dak Prescott played 17 games for DAL and scored 323.8 PPR points, 19.0 a game, finishing QB6.

He completed 404 of 600 passes for 4552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and ran 53 times for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He was on the field for 98 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 Matthew Stafford for Dak Prescott?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Dak Prescott projects 162 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (18.0 a game over 9 games), Matthew Stafford 149 (16.5 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Dak Prescott over Matthew Stafford.
Should I drop Dak Prescott for Matthew Stafford?
No. Keep Dak Prescott: he projects 162 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (18.0 a game over 9 games), Matthew Stafford 149 (16.5 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Dak Prescott over Matthew Stafford.

Should I drop Matthew Stafford?