Drake Maye vs Joe Flacco: Who Should You Start?
Drake Maye and Joe Flacco are at different tiers heading into 2026. The New England Patriots quarterback averaged 21.1 PPG in 2025, a full 9.0 points per game ahead of Joe Flacco's 12.1 with the Cincinnati Bengals. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
That 9.0-point weekly advantage for Drake Maye is meaningful but not automatic. Fantasy football is a week-to-week sport, and the answer to "who should I start" often changes based on opponent, recent form, and game environment. Season averages set the baseline; weekly context makes the call.
Drake Maye offers meaningful rushing upside with 450 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Joe Flacco (2479 passing yards, 15 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
Drake Maye has his bye in Week 14, 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.
