Fantasy Football Managers Shouldn’t Sell Drake Maye Just Yet with Favorable Matchups Ahead
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Drake Maye finished last season tied as the QB2 in fantasy points per game (21.1) alongside Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes. Maye’s breakout campaign led to the New England Patriots reaching the Super Bowl, though the Seattle Seahawks proved to be too much on the biggest stage.
To begin the 2026 NFL season, Maye has gotten off to a nightmarish start, prompting panic among his fantasy football managers.
Despite Maye producing a few forgettable outings so far, let’s take a look at Maye’s current metrics and upcoming schedule to highlight why his fantasy football managers shouldn’t look to sell him just yet.
All stats used in this article are from PFF and Sumer Sports unless stated otherwise. Fantasy rankings and fantasy point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.
Fantasy Recap of Drake Maye After Week 3
Pending Monday Night Football, Maye is currently the QB34 in fantasy points per game (9.2) after posting a season-low 5.8 fantasy points in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Among QBs with 50-plus dropbacks this season, Maye has the most interceptions (6), the highest turnover-worthy-play rate (8.6%), and the fourth-highest pressure-to-sack rate (21.4%).
On the other hand, Maye is still tied for the 13th-most yards per attempt (7.3) among QBs with 50-plus dropbacks this year. Maye is also tied for the fifth-most rushing attempts (15), eighth-most rushing yards per attempt (5.4), and sixth-most runs of 10-plus yards (3) among the 19 QBs with 10-plus carries in 2026.
Drake Maye is having a rough start to the season 😬 pic.twitter.com/8ugjAUVzxy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 27, 2026
A season ago, much was made about Maye benefiting from a favorable schedule, which certainly aided his fantasy production. After facing the Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jaguars to begin the 2026 season, Maye will experience a much more fantasy-friendly schedule in the coming weeks.
From Week 4 to Week 13, the Patriots will face the Buffalo Bills (twice), Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers. Seven of those eight teams are ranked 16th or worse in dropback EPA allowed this year.
Buy, Sell, Or Hold Verdict: Hold Drake Maye
Although I wouldn’t blame anyone for moving on from Maye already, his upcoming schedule and A.J. Brown’s eventual return from injured reserve are reasons to be optimistic moving forward.
Given his start to the season, it’s highly doubtful that Maye managers would get much in return in a trade right now. That being said, I’d look to hold Maye in fantasy football in hopes he turns things around, though my stance could change if he continues to stumble in the next couple of games.
At the same time, if Maye does produce stellar performances during the upcoming stretch of advantageous matchups, an enticing sell-high window could open. Maye ends the season with suboptimal matchups against the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos in three of his final five games in 2026.
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Skyler Carlin is an experienced sports writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, college football, college basketball, and soccer for FanDuel Research and USA Today. Outside of writing, he enjoys cooking, watching movies, and playing video games.
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