Start-sit debates are central to fantasy football. Who will have a good week, and who will have a bad week? That is the question we have tried to answer every week through trial and error; the following analysis has become the best way to do it. Consider the following analysis when deciding whether to start Bryce Young or Matthew Stafford.

The Case of Bryce Young

Young has played eight games this season. In that span, he passes the ball 38.5 times per game, more than any quarterback in the NFL. Young ranks as follows among 27 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks this season:

• 4th in Passing Yards per Game
• 26th in Completion Percentage
• 15th in Yards per Attempt

The Panthers are very pass-heavy, even amidst the successful season of Chuba Hubbard.

In the rushing game, Young ranks as follows:

• 30th in Rushing Attempts per Game
• 26th in Rushing Yards per Game
• 15th in Yards per Rushing Attempt

Young is very much a pocket passer. He can scramble when necessary, but that won't define Young's fantasy outlook.

The matchup then really helps us see just how good a quarterback can be in the game ahead. This week, the Panthers compete against their division rivals, the New Orleans Saints, who rank as follows defensively:

• 4th-easiest in Passing Yards Allowed per Game
• 11th-easiest in Passing Touchdowns Allowed per Game
• 10th-easiest in Quarterback Rushing Yards Allowed per Game
• Toughest in Quarterback Rushing Touchdowns Allowed per Game

Young appears to have a very favorable passing matchup. He also plays indoors, so the weather won't affect him.

Touchdowns are the final factor in a quarterback's scoring ability. Young has 16 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown through eight games. His pass-catching depth chart looks healthy.

The Case of Matthew Stafford

Stafford has played nine games this season. However, I'll take a narrower view. He hasn't had Davante Adams since Week 6, and now he doesn't have Puka Nacua either. But let's review his statistics precisely over his last three games, without Adams.

Stafford averages 33.3 passing attempts per game. He ranks as follows in these other categories among quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks:

• 21st in Passing Yards per Game
• 25th in Completion Percentage
• 28th in Yards per Attempt

Clearly, the lack of talent is hurting this Rams passing attack. Adams has averaged 16.0 Yards per Reception. The hope is that his explosiveness can be supplemented by Tutu Atwell and Konata Mumpfield, but as we know, they aren't Adams. So we shouldn't take the recent downtick lightly.

Stafford adds almost nothing in the rushing game, so we will not measure those metrics for him.

His passing matchup will define how good Stafford can be. In Week 10, the Rams face the Arizona Cardinals. They rank as follows:

• 13th-toughest in Passing Yards Allowed per Game
• 3rd-easiest in Passing Touchdowns Allowed per Game

Stafford will need touchdowns to have a startable fantasy outing. Especially given his recent voluminous statistics.

In Weeks 7-9, Stafford has 5 passing touchdowns. Before Week 7, Stafford had thrown about 1.8 passing touchdowns per game, so the drop-off is minimal.

Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Bryce Young vs. Matthew Stafford

The start-sit debate is a no-brainer. Young has plenty of upside given his matchup and immense 2026 passing volume. He carries less risk with a healthy roster. Young could finish as high as QB1 this week, while Stafford is hard-pressed to reach even a top-5 ceiling in Week 10.

As of Friday evening, Young is the QB8 in fantasy football, with Stafford at QB11.