Fantasy Football Thursday Quarterback Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers, Jaxson Dart, and More
Comparing Aaron Rodgers to five QBs that he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool.
Aaron Rodgers looked cooked. He missed a whole year with an Achilles tear then returned for maybe his worst season with the Jets. Pittsburgh was wasting a season by counting on the 41-year-old.
Well, the Steelers are now 4-1, and if they win on Thursday night against the Bengals, they will be 3.5 games up on everyone in their division while owning a tiebreaker. No team can win a division title this early, but that's a phenomenal position to be in less than halfway through the season.
He has a positive matchup in Week 7, so fantasy owners are looking at Rodgers as a fantasy player. Since he has a Thursday game, we have to decide on using him early. That's not ideal for a streamer, but he still might be your best option.
Let's look at Rodgers and five other quarterbacks who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool early on Thursday. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to identify the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.
Use the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each week!
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Rodgers has been good: he's averaging just over 200 yards per game, but Rodgers is completing nearly 69% of his passes on 7.4 yards per attempt with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
While he is just QB23, Rodgers has also had his bye week already. Putting in his weekly average for the bye week would move him up to QB15. That's not a great fantasy player, but it is a guy who fits into your lineup if you need a streaming quarterback.
Cincinnati has allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Part of the reason they are better in fantasy is because the Bengals have allowed just 45 total rushing yards to QBs in six games. That's not a part of Rodgers' game, so it doesn't factor in as much here.
Rodgers has been OK, and the matchup here is very good. He's a guy to consider for your lineup, though there's still a bit of a lower ceiling.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks vs. Houston Texans
Darnold has been a pleasant surprise in 2025 even compared to his career-best 2024 season. Expecting him to fall back to a below-average level wasn't fair (I'm guilty of it too), and Darnold has proven early this year that he is up to the task. He is averaging 256.8 passing yards per game on 9.6 per attempt with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
The matchup here is the toughest one he has faced all season, as the Texans have allowed the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Houston has been a top defensive unit for a few years, and they keep tormenting opposing passers.
Advice: Start Aaron Rodgers over Sam Darnold because the Pittsburgh quarterback has the much better matchup.
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants @ Denver Broncos
In the three weeks that Dart has been the starter in New York, he ranks as fantasy QB8. He has run for over 50 yards in each game and scored twice. Though his passing has been subpar, Dart has found ways to have success early, including a 2-1 record. That also came against a few tougher teams in the Chargers and Eagles.
The matchup gets even worse here, as the Broncos might have the best defense in football. They have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Specific to what Dart does best, Denver has allowed fewer than 10 rushing yards per game to QBs. Justin Fields is the only one to reach double digits.
Advice: Start Aaron Rodgers over Jaxson Dart, again because of the much better matchup.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Rams (in London)
Lawrence stands as QB14, never among the top of the position but good enough to not fall completely off the fantasy radar. He's a fine streamer depending on the matchup, and Lawrence can do a little damage with his legs (though he has topped 12 yards only once this year).
The matchup is against his interests, as the Rams have given up the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt and the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. QB running has been inconsistent against LA, as they gave up more than 30 yards in three of six games but less than 10 yards in the other three games.
Advice: Start Aaron Rodgers over Trevor Lawrence; the matchups are clear so far.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars, (in London)
Stafford had been cruising statistically heading into Week 6 and was facing the banged up Baltimore Ravens, who had been one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Stafford didn't have to do much, as his team's defense dominated, but it was still disappointing to see only 181 passing yards and a touchdown when he had averaged over 300 yards per game up to that point with 11 TDs.
The Jags are slightly worse than average in yards per pass attempt allowed and have given up the eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The higher fantasy score comes from allowing 10 touchdown passes and a little rushing production (23 yards per game, two touchdowns). Jacksonville is a middling matchup.
Advice: This is a tougher one because the matchups are much closer than the past three guys. Stafford has been the better player and has better receivers, but Rodgers has the better matchup. I'll give the slight advantage to the higher ceiling and say start Matthew Stafford over Aaron Rodgers.
C.J. Stroud: Houston Texans @ Seattle Seahawks
Stroud's efficiency numbers aren't bad: he has completed over 70% of his passes at 7.5 yards per attempt. He doesn't get a lot of volume, though, averaging just 215.2 yards per game with eight touchdowns. He has chipped in 24.4 rushing yards per game, a nice little bump to his fantasy score.
Seattle presents another middling matchup. They have given up the 12th-fewest yards per pass attempt but the 13th-most fantasy points per game to QBs. They have allowed more than 250 passing yards per game, though Seattle also held three teams below 220 passing yards.
Advice: Start Aaron Rodgers over C.J. Stroud. Rodgers has the superior matchup, and unlike Stafford, Stroud doesn't have as high of a fantasy ceiling, making the matchup matter more.
