Darren Waller · Eli Stowers · 2026 week 1

Darren Waller or Eli Stowers?

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

Start Darren WallerDarren Waller projects 7 PPR points clear of Eli Stowers in week 1, drawing CHI — the 18th-ranked matchup for TEs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 1	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Darren Waller START	vs CHI	8.0	18th	11.8	–	healthy
Eli Stowers	vs WAS	1.0	2nd · soft	–	–	Questionable

TEs vs CHI recently: Luke Musgrave 3.8 pts (W16) · Jake Tonges 12 pts (W17) · Anthony Firkser 0.2 pts (W18).

TEs vs WAS recently: Dallas Goedert 9.2 pts (W16) · Jake Ferguson 6.6 pts (W17) · Grant Calcaterra 8.1 pts (W18).

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Their trade values are effectively even — a one-for-one is a fair swap on the numbers.

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

More TE decisions

Darren Waller or Colby Parkinson?Darren Waller or Mike Gesicki?Darren Waller or Pat Freiermuth?Eli Stowers or Cade Otton?Eli Stowers or Oscar Delp?Eli Stowers or Josh Oliver?

Game logs, matchup ranks and form are the 2025 season — 2026 hasn’t kicked off. Projections, schedule and trade values are current 2026 numbers, refreshed nightly.