Baker Mayfield vs Patrick Mahomes: Who Should You Start?
Two quarterbacks who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) finished the 2025 season averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game in 17 games. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) came in at 21.2 PPG over 14 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Patrick Mahomes carries a 4.6-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Patrick Mahomes offers meaningful rushing upside with 422 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Baker Mayfield (3693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
Bye weeks matter for roster construction: Baker Mayfield sits Week 11 while Patrick Mahomes is off Week 6. If you are deciding between the two as a season-long roster hold, the staggered byes actually work in your favor.
