Two players, one answer.

Matthew Stafford vs Sam Darnold

Any league · Week 8 start/sit · PPR

Stats through week 8 of 2026 (in progress)

Matthew Stafford · Sam Darnold

Week 8 · PPR · 52% held up in 2025

A toss-up

On Sleeper's projections, Sam Darnold is projected 0.4 points ahead of Matthew Stafford. In the 2025 season, a player projected that far ahead outscored the other 52% of the time. 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.

QB · SEA

Sam Darnold

16.4 projected

vs CHI · Mon 8:15 PM ET

13.8 a game this season · last 3: 10.3, 13, 15

QB · LAR

Matthew Stafford

16.0 projected

vs LAC · Sun 4:05 PM ET

18.6 a game this season · last 3: 27.3, 16.9, 18.5

What the call rests on

  • Sam Darnold: Sleeper's projection, last changed Fri, Oct 30, 8:20 PM ET
  • Matthew Stafford: Sleeper's projection, last changed Fri, Oct 30, 8:20 PM ET
  • Sleeper's projections read Fri, Oct 30, 8:23 PM ET.
  • Injury statuses read Fri, Oct 30, 8:23 PM 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 0.4 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.
  • Matthew Stafford plays first (Sun 4:05 PM ET); once his game starts most platforms lock him in or out, before Sam Darnold'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%.