Joe Flacco vs Justin Fields: Who Should You Start?
Joe Flacco and Justin Fields are both viable fantasy quarterbacks heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Joe Flacco averaged 12.1 PPG across 13 games with the Cincinnati Bengals, while Justin Fields posted 16.0 PPG in 9 appearances for the Kansas City Chiefs.
A 3.9-PPG gap gives Justin Fields 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. Joe Flacco threw for 2479 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Justin Fields posted 1259 yards and 7 scores. Volume, red zone efficiency, and game script are the key week-to-week differentiators when neither carries rushing upside.
Joe Flacco has his bye in Week 12, and Justin Fields 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.
