Joe Burrow vs Matthew Stafford: Who Should You Start?
Two quarterbacks who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) finished the 2025 season averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game in 8 games. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) came in at 21.1 PPG over 17 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Matthew Stafford carries a 3.7-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.
Both lean on arm talent and offensive scheme as traditional pocket passers. Joe Burrow threw for 1809 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Matthew Stafford posted 4707 yards and 46 scores. Volume, red zone efficiency, and game script are the key week-to-week differentiators when neither carries rushing upside.
Joe Burrow has his bye in Week 12, and Matthew Stafford rests in Week 6. 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.
