Baker Mayfield vs Joe Flacco: Who Should You Start?
Baker Mayfield and Joe Flacco are both viable fantasy quarterbacks heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Baker Mayfield averaged 16.6 PPG across 17 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Joe Flacco posted 12.1 PPG in 13 appearances for the Cincinnati Bengals.
A 4.5-PPG gap gives Baker Mayfield the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Both lean on arm talent and offensive scheme as traditional pocket passers. Baker Mayfield threw for 3693 yards and 26 touchdowns, while Joe Flacco posted 2479 yards and 15 scores. Volume, red zone efficiency, and game script are the key week-to-week differentiators when neither carries rushing upside.
Baker Mayfield has his bye in Week 11, and Joe Flacco rests in Week 12. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at quarterback for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
