Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Baker Mayfield
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.3 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Matthew Stafford News
Monday, July 6, 11:52 AM
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford had a historic season in 2025, throwing for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and eight interceptions across 17 games and being named the NFL's MVP. Stafford was an elite fantasy QB last season, particularly in leagues that award six points per passing touchdown. Still, there are multiple reasons to expect regression from Stafford in 2026. For one, the veteran quarterback is entering his age-38 season and has a history of back and neck issues. Stafford also posted a 7.7% touchdown rate as a passer in 2025, which is well above his career mark of 4.8%. By measure of per-game scoring, Stafford finished outside the top-24 at the quarterback position in 2024. However, he's currently being valued as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 by average draft position in redraft formats. Unless his price continues to come down, Stafford may be a player for redraft managers to avoid in 2026.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.9 | 18.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Baker Mayfield News
Monday, July 13, 11:43 AM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee) admitted on the second season of Netflix's "Quarterback" that he sprained his MCL and PCL and suffered a bone bruise in his knee in Week 2 last year against the Houston Texans. Mayfield played with the injuries all year and then aggravated the bone bruise in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions. This helps makes some sense of why the 31-year-old struggled so badly in the second half, ultimately finishing with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 games. Mayfield was in the MVP conversation through the first portion of 2025, leading Tampa to a 6-2 record before collapsing in the second half and failing to make the postseason. The 31-year-old also suffered a tendon injury in his bicep in Week 3 and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. Injuries definitely appeared to hamper Mayfield last year, which could make him a bounce-back candidate in 2026 in a new offensive system under coordinator Zac Robinson. Still, fantasy managers are better off targeting the veteran signal-caller as a midrange QB2 as he heads into his ninth year in the NFL.
Matthew Stafford vs. Baker Mayfield
Still trying to decide between Stafford and Mayfield? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Matthew Stafford is projected to score 23.3 points this week while Baker Mayfield is projected to score 21.9 points.
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