Two players, one answer.
Matthew Stafford vs Sam Darnold
Any league · Week 8 start/sit · Half PPR
Stats through week 8 of 2026 (in progress)
This week
Toss-up · 16.4 to 16.3 projected (Week 8, Half PPR)
Rest of season
Matthew Stafford by 60% (Redraft half PPR)Dynasty
Sam Darnold by 13% (Dynasty Superflex)
Week 8 · Half PPR · 50% held up in 2025
A toss-up
On Sleeper's projections, Matthew Stafford is projected 0.1 points ahead of Sam Darnold. In the 2025 season, a player projected that far ahead outscored the other 50% 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 · LAR
Matthew Stafford
16.4 projected
vs LAC · Sun 4:05 PM ET
18.6 a game this season · last 3: 27.3, 16.9, 18.5
QB · SEA
Sam Darnold
16.3 projected
vs CHI · Mon 8:15 PM ET
13.8 a game this season · last 3: 10.3, 13, 15
- Matthew Stafford's game has already kicked off, so most platforms have locked him in or out for this week.
What the call rests on
- Matthew Stafford: Sleeper's projection, last changed Sun, Nov 1, 5:30 PM ET
- Sam Darnold: Sleeper's projection, last changed Sun, Nov 1, 5:30 PM ET
- Sleeper's projections read Sun, Nov 1, 5:35 PM ET.
- Injury statuses read Sun, Nov 1, 5:35 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 0.1 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 Half 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%.