Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Patrick Mahomes

Monday, July 6, 5:14 AM

Beginning with one of the most dominant fantasy seasons ever in his first year as a starter, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II went on a five-year run that saw him finish as the QB4 or better four different times with bookending QB1 finishes. Since then, some of his most dangerous weapons have either moved on or slowed with age, and major philosophical changes in Kansas City have led to a statistical decline and the three worst fantasy seasons of his career. After leading one of the league's most aggressive offenses in his early seasons, Mahomes has seen his air yards drop from 8.6 yards per attempt to only 6.9 over his past three seasons. The more conservative approach has not necessarily led to more efficiency, as his touchdown-to-interception ratio also dropped by nearly half over that span. A saving grace for fantasy has been an increased scramble rate, which saw Mahomes rush for career highs of 422 yards and five touchdowns in 2025 despite playing in only 14 games before his season was ended by a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. How much of his mobility returns when he gets back on the field could be the most crucial element in determining his fantasy value in 2026, as his pass catchers remain largely unchanged from previous seasons. Expected to return to 11-on-11 work as early as training camp, Mahomes' movement will be watched closely, but for now he is RotoBaller's QB13 for 2026.