Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
23.8 19.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Baker Mayfield News

Baker Mayfield Strong Option off the Waiver Wire for Week 1

Tuesday, September 8, 7:01 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield signed a three-year extension with the Bucs on Thursday and enters the 2026 season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after finishing the 2025 season as the QB17 on a points-per-game basis (17th) after finishing as the QB4 in 2024. Mayfield dealt with a handful of injuries last season and finished the year throwing for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also contributed on the ground with 382 rushing yards, giving him a safe floor to go with his passing volume. Mayfield has a strong matchup in Week 1, going up against the Cincinnati Bengals, who ranked bottom 10 against opposing quarterbacks last season, allowing roughly 19.1 fantasy points per game to the position. Second-year standout receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) appears to be trending toward playing in Week 1 to go along with another of Mayfield's go-to targets, Chris Godwin. Mayfield is being drafted as a QB2 in most formats, but his Week 1 matchup may be too good to pass up. Fantasy managers looking to stream a quarterback in Week 1 should look Mayfield's way.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
27.0 38.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0

Lamar Jackson News

Ravens "Optimistic" About Reaching Extension With Lamar Jackson

Wednesday, September 2, 2:20 PM

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said on Wednesday that he is "optimistic" about reaching a contract extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. "We would love to get a deal done as soon as possible," DeCosta said. The 29-year-old signed a five-year, $260 million extension with Baltimore in April of 2023, but with an $84.3 million salary-cap number for 2027, the Ravens want to get an extension done with the star QB so that they can spread that cap hit out over multiple seasons. The four-time Pro Bowler and two-time MVP battled nagging injuries for much of last year, which led to a disappointing 2025 campaign in which he threw for only 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in a career-low 13 starts. Jackson also ran the ball a career-low 67 times for 349 yards and two touchdowns. With better health, Jackson should rebound as an elite, high-end QB1 for fantasy purposes because of his dual-threat abilities at the position.


Baker Mayfield vs. Lamar Jackson

Still trying to decide between Mayfield and Jackson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Baker Mayfield is projected to score 23.8 points this week while Lamar Jackson is projected to score 27.0 points.