Justin Fields vs Patrick Mahomes: Who Should You Start?
Two quarterbacks who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Justin Fields (Kansas City Chiefs) finished the 2025 season averaging 16.0 fantasy points per game in 9 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 5.2-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 Justin Fields (1259 passing yards, 7 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
One thing to note: both players share a Week 6 bye. That means you need a backup plan at quarterback for that week, especially if one of these two is your starter.
