Caleb Williams · Matthew Stafford · 2026 week 8

Caleb Williams or Matthew Stafford?

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

Start Matthew Stafford — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.3 points. The matchup leans Matthew Stafford (LAC allow the 26th-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Caleb Williams	@ SEA	15.8	31st · tough	15.8	2,146	healthy
Matthew Stafford START	vs LAC	16.1	26th · tough	20.9	1,110	healthy

QBs vs SEA recently: Brock Purdy 17.2 pts (W5) · Bo Nix 4.5 pts (W6) · Patrick Mahomes 7 pts (W7).

QBs vs LAC recently: Sam Darnold 14.3 pts (W4) · Bo Nix 7.9 pts (W5) · Patrick Mahomes 11.5 pts (W6).

🎓 The coach's read

Projections are 0.3 apart — too close to call on projection alone.
Matthew Stafford has the higher floor (8.2) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Caleb Williams has the higher ceiling (24.2) — the play if you need points.
Matthew Stafford is steady — about 16% less volatile week to week than a typical QB projected here — higher floor, lower ceiling.
Caleb Williams faces SEA, 31st most generous to QBs.
Matthew Stafford faces LAC, 26th most generous to QBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Caleb Williams carries the higher trade value — 2,146 against 1,110 (a 48% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Caleb Williams gets the most. Momentum: Caleb Williams +582 and Matthew Stafford +189 over the last 30 days.

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

More QB decisions

Caleb Williams or Joe Burrow?Caleb Williams or Drake Maye?Caleb Williams or Brock Purdy?Matthew Stafford or Dak Prescott?Matthew Stafford or Jared Goff?Matthew Stafford or Patrick Mahomes?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.