Fantasy Football Week 9 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Jayden Daniels or Matthew Stafford?
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NFL quarterbacks come in all shapes, sizes, and skill sets. That is especially relevant for the following quarterbacks in today's true start-sit debate: Jayden Daniels and Matthew Stafford. While they earn fantasy points differently, they both rank around QB8-12. Who is better in Week 9? Let's find out.
The Case of Jayden Daniels
Daniels has played four NFL games this season and missed the rest due to an elbow dislocation. In those games, Daniels is passing the ball an average of 32.0 times per game. His completion percentage is 63%, and his Yards per Attempt is 6.7, below the NFL average.
Daniels did pass the ball 40 times in Week 6, largely because the game script forced it. For the most part, Daniels really is a lower-volume passer, averaging high-20s to low-30s attempts per game.
Daniels earns his value when he on the ground. He is my projected leader in quarterback rushing yards for Week 9. He averages about 42 rushing yards per game.
In advanced metrics, Daniels is having an average year so far. He ranks 15th in PFF Passing Grade and 19th in EPA per Dropback.
A quarterback's upside depends on his matchup. Daniels competes against the LA Rams this Sunday. The Rams rank 5th-best in EPA per Pass Allowed, and 9th in Passing Touchdowns Allowed (about 1.2 per game). The Rams rank 3rd-best in Rushing Yards Allowed per game to quarterbacks. Matchup: Bad.
How does Daniels perform in the red zone? He is averaging the following, per game:
- Rushing Attempts: 1.0
- Rush Attempts Inside the 5-Yard-Line: 0.0
- Pass Attempts: 5.0
- Pass Attempts Inside the 10-Yard-Line: 3.0
- Rush TD: 0.0
- Pass TD: 1.25
The Case of Matthew Stafford
Stafford has started all eight Rams games this season. He is averaging about 38 passing attempts per game. His completion percentage is 67%, and Stafford averages 7.1 Yards per Attempt, about the NFL average.
However, fantasy managers should note some recent changes in Los Angeles. The team lost Davante Adams to injury. In the two games since, Stafford is averaging 27.0 passing attempts per game. His season average of 38 is largely due to Weeks 3-5, when he threw for over 50 times each game.
Looking ahead, I see Stafford's volume pushing into the low 30s. The Rams should get more run-heavy. In fact, over their last two games, the Rams ran the ball about 52% of the time. Before Week 7, the Rams ran the ball only 34% of the time.
Stafford differs significantly from Daniels in his skill set. The Rams' signal-caller has 18 rushing yards on 14 attempts this season. In 2025, Stafford recorded 16 rushing yards on 34 attempts.
Stafford is playing below his 2025 MVP standard, ranking 21st in PFF Passing Grade and 17th in EPA per Dropback.
The matchup will determine just how good Stafford can be. He competes against the Commanders, who rank 16th in EPA per Pass Allowed and 26th in Passing Touchdowns Allowed (about 2.1 per game). Matchup: Favorable
Stafford's red zone statistics, per game, are listed as follows:
- Rushing Attempts: 0.38
- Rush Attempts inside the 5-yard-line: 0.13
- Pass Attempts: 5.63
- Pass Attempts inside the 10-yard-line: 2.25
- Pass TD: 13
Although the Rams do expect to maintain a lower pass rate, they have excelled at passing at volume in the red zone. Over their last two games, both without Adams, the Rams averaged 6.0 red zone passing attempts per game and scored two passing touchdowns.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Jayden Daniels vs. Matthew Stafford
I find this debate to be very close, and come down to two factors: Safety and Upside.
The safe pick is Daniels. He has the better anticipated volume between his passing and rushing ability. The Commanders neither expect to be up in this game. In most simulations, Daniels will be in a tight ballgame or trailing. But with his legs, he can surge to fantasy relevance in any game script.
Stafford is the higher-risk, higher-upside pick. He scores touchdowns. However, if that doesn't come to fruition, Stafford will have to rely on high passing volume and few turnovers. Given that the Rams are comfortably expected to prevail, a second-half run script is possible at the very least, adding more risk to this situation.
I would ultimately advise you to start Daniels this week. When playing fantasy football, you have a lineup of many players. You often won't need to start the higher-risk player, especially at a high-scoring position like quarterback.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.