Matthew Stafford · Sam Darnold · 2026 week 9

Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold?

Wondering who you should start this week — Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold? 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 1.1 points. The matchup leans Matthew Stafford (WAS allow the 4th-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Matthew Stafford START	@ WAS	18.5	4th · soft	14.9	785	healthy
Sam Darnold	@ LV	17.4	5th · soft	15.5	189	Out

QBs vs WAS recently: Jameis Winston 25.7 pts (W5) · Brock Purdy 17.4 pts (W6) · Tanner McKee 8 pts (W8).

QBs vs LV recently: Josh Allen 18.3 pts (W6) · Matthew Stafford 18.5 pts (W7) · Geno Smith 19 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

Matthew Stafford projects 1.1 points higher in PPR.
Matthew Stafford faces WAS, 4th most generous to QBs.
Sam Darnold faces LV, 5th most generous to QBs.
Sam Darnold is flagged OUT.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Matthew Stafford carries the higher trade value — 785 against 189 (a 76% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Matthew Stafford gets the most. Momentum: Matthew Stafford -168 and Sam Darnold -351 over the last 30 days.

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

More QB decisions

Matthew Stafford or Jayden Daniels?Matthew Stafford or Jordan Love?Matthew Stafford or Tyler Shough?Sam Darnold or Bryce Young?Sam Darnold or Aaron Rodgers?Sam Darnold or Kyler Murray?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.