Who Should I Start? Jared Goff or Baker Mayfield

Wednesday, December 24, 8:16 PM

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has played solid football all season long, completing 68.6% of his pass attempts for 4,036 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions across 15 games. Goff's production has ramped up to another level in recent weeks, as he's attempted 129 passes and thrown for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception over his last three games. However, Goff and the Lions will face a very difficult matchup in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings. Entering the week, Minnesota ranks second in the NFL in total passing yards allowed (2,790) and tied for second in passing touchdowns allowed (14). In their Week 16 win over the New York Giants, the Vikings allowed Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to throw for just 33 yards on 13 pass attempts. In his first matchup of 2025 against Minnesota in Week 9, Goff was sacked a season-high five times. Fantasy managers in single-quarterback formats may want to avoid Goff if possible in Week 17.

Friday, December 26, 2:40 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has given fantasy managers some lackluster performances during the second half of the season. Over his last six games, Mayfield has only surpassed 200 passing yards in a single game once. Mayfield has also only thrown for multiple touchdowns once during that span. It has been a struggle lately for Mayfield, but he does head into a favorable matchup in Week 17. He'll draw a matchup against a shaky Miami Dolphins defense, a unit that has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. It's a must-win game for the Bucs, so Mayfield needs to be at the top of his game. The hope is that Mayfield can offer fantasy managers low-end QB1 value for this one.