Baker Mayfield · J.J. McCarthy · 2026 week 8

Baker Mayfield or J.J. McCarthy?

Wondering who you should start this week — Baker Mayfield or J.J. McCarthy? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Baker Mayfield — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0 points. The matchup leans Baker Mayfield (ATL allow the 13th-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Baker Mayfield START	vs ATL	16.2	13th	10.7	241	healthy
J.J. McCarthy	@ PHI	16.2	9th	9.2	192	healthy

QBs vs ATL recently: Tyler Huntley 24 pts (W5) · Caleb Williams 16.5 pts (W6) · Brock Purdy 14 pts (W7).

QBs vs PHI recently: Trevor Lawrence 22.7 pts (W5) · Bryce Young 19.8 pts (W6) · Dak Prescott 23.3 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

They carry identical projections — projection alone cannot separate them.
Baker Mayfield faces ATL, 13th most generous to QBs.
J.J. McCarthy faces PHI, 9th most generous to QBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Baker Mayfield carries the higher trade value — 241 against 192 (a 20% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Baker Mayfield gets the most. Momentum: Baker Mayfield +38 and J.J. McCarthy +192 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More QB decisions

Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold?Baker Mayfield or Justin Herbert?Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray?J.J. McCarthy or Jacoby Brissett?J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix Jr.?J.J. McCarthy or Aaron Rodgers?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.