Malik Willis vs Patrick Mahomes: Who Should You Start?
Patrick Mahomes and Malik Willis are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback averaged 20.4 PPG in 2025, a full 7.6 points per game ahead of Malik Willis's 12.8 with the Green Bay Packers. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
A 7.6-PPG gap gives Patrick Mahomes the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Patrick Mahomes offers meaningful rushing upside with 422 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Malik Willis (422 passing yards, 3 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
Malik Willis has his bye in Week 5, and Patrick Mahomes rests in Week 10. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at quarterback for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
