Two players, one answer.

Drake Dabney vs Malik McClain

Any league · this week start/sit · PPR

Stats through week 7 of 2026

Week 8 · PPR · 50% held up in 2025

A toss-up

On Sleeper's projections, Drake Dabney and Malik McClain are projected level. That's close to a coin flip: on these projections neither is the better start, and an injury report or a projection update before kickoff can tip it.

TE · GB

Drake Dabney

0.0 projected

vs CAR · Thu 8:15 PM ET

No games this season

WR · NYJ

Malik McClain

0.0 projected

vs LV · Sun 1:00 PM ET

0 a game this season · last 1: 0

What the call rests on

  • Drake Dabney: Sleeper's projection
  • Malik McClain: Sleeper's projection, last changed Wed, Oct 28, 8:00 AM ET
  • Sleeper's projections read Wed, Oct 28, 8:09 AM ET.
  • Injury statuses read Wed, Oct 28, 8:09 AM ET, with the projections (hourly). A fresh projection time doesn't mean every status is: game-day inactives, about 90 minutes before kickoff, can come after it.

What could change it before kickoff

  • A projection update of 0 points or more in the other direction flips the call; Sleeper keeps adjusting its projections until kickoff, and this page reads them again at most an hour after it last did.
  • Drake Dabney plays first (Thu 8:15 PM ET); once his game starts most platforms lock him in or out, before Malik McClain's late news is known.

Open in Who should I start (your league, more players)

This week’s projections are Sleeper’s, scored with PPR settings. The percentage is how often a projected gap like this held up across the 2025 season; checked against 2026 games (not used to fit it), the stated chances so far run a few points high, so read a 60% call as nearer 55%.