Daniel Jones vs Patrick Mahomes: Who Should You Start?
Daniel Jones and Patrick Mahomes are both viable fantasy quarterbacks heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Daniel Jones averaged 18.0 PPG across 13 games with the Indianapolis Colts, while Patrick Mahomes posted 21.2 PPG in 14 appearances for the Kansas City Chiefs.
A 3.2-PPG gap gives Patrick Mahomes 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.
Patrick Mahomes offers meaningful rushing upside with 422 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Daniel Jones (3101 passing yards, 19 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
One scheduling note: Daniel Jones is off Week 14 and Patrick Mahomes Week 6. If these two are on your roster, you will need a fill-in quarterback for both weeks. DraftCall flags bye conflicts so you can plan ahead rather than panic on waivers.
