Evan McPherson · Spencer Shrader · 2026 week 8

Evan McPherson or Spencer Shrader?

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

Start Evan McPherson — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.1 points. The matchup leans Evan McPherson (TEN allow the 4th-most K points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Evan McPherson START	vs TEN	9.2	4th · soft	5.7	–	healthy
Spencer Shrader	@ JAX	9.1	26th · tough	11	–	healthy

Ks vs TEN recently: Ka'imi Fairbairn 17 pts (W5) · Spencer Shrader 9 pts (W6) · Andre Szmyt 8 pts (W7).

Ks vs JAX recently: Evan McPherson 5 pts (W4) · Jake Elliott 6 pts (W5) · Ka'imi Fairbairn 11 pts (W6).

🎓 The coach's read

Projections are 0.1 apart — too close to call on projection alone.
Spencer Shrader has the higher floor (3.4) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Evan McPherson has the higher ceiling (16.9) — the play if you need points.
Evan McPherson is boom-or-bust — about 19% more volatile week to week than a typical K projected here — wider range in both directions.
Evan McPherson faces TEN, 4th most generous to Ks.
Spencer Shrader faces JAX, 26th most generous to Ks.

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 K decisions

Evan McPherson or Jake Bates?Evan McPherson or Brandon Aubrey?Evan McPherson or Cam Little?Spencer Shrader or Brandon Aubrey?Spencer Shrader or Cam Little?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.