Free tool (staged)
Compare two players and get a projection-grounded start/sit pick. This public tool shows the grounded comparison returned here. Current app-surface details remain unverified.
What this compares
Who should I start this week comes down to two questions, and this page answers both with facts rather than an opinion. What each player actually did last season, measured from play-by-play. And who his team plays this week, home or away, with the kickoff time.
Every figure comes from the 2025 regular season: target share, snap share, air yards share, average depth of target, yards per target, weighted opportunity rating, expected points added, and raw yardage. The snapshot is committed to the repo before the page is built, so a page can't render a number that wasn't there at build time.
The 2026 regular season, 272 games across 18 weeks: who plays whom, home or away, with kickoff in Eastern time. A bye shows up as a bye instead of disappearing, because a team that isn't playing is an answer you need.
Both players have to play the same position, both have to clear a measured volume floor, and they have to sit close enough in production that the choice is a real one. Nobody is deciding between the RB2 and the RB48, so that comparison never gets made.
gamedai does not publish a weekly opponent-adjusted projection, an expert grade, or a crowd pick, and there's no strength-of-schedule rating in this repo either. Nothing here measures how hard a week's fixture is, so calling one easy or hard would be an invention rather than a reading. What you get is last season's measured production next to this week's real opponent. You make the call.
Data from nflverse (nflverse-data), licensed CC BY 4.0. 2025 regular season, snapshot taken September 3, 2026. Source: nflverse-data. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Schedule data from the ESPN public site API. 2026 regular season, pulled August 22, 2026. gamedai is an independent analytics platform and is not affiliated with the National Football League.
Compare a decision
When who should I start is a straight choice between two names, start here. 12 pairings from the bounded comparison set, each showing the measured 2025 gap between the two players and who their teams actually play in week 1 of the 2026 season, home or away, with kickoff in Eastern time. No projection sits behind any of it.
Josh Allen led Matthew Stafford in 2025 rushing yards, 579 to 1, and rushing touchdowns, 14 to 0. Overall, Josh Allen led 4 of 7 measured categories.
Drake Maye led Trevor Lawrence in 2025 passing yards, 4,394 to 4,007, and passing touchdowns, 31 to 29. Overall, Drake Maye led 6 of 7 measured categories.
Caleb Williams led Dak Prescott in 2025 interceptions, 7 to 10, and rushing yards, 388 to 177. Overall, Caleb Williams led 4 of 7 measured categories.
Christian McCaffrey led Jonathan Taylor in 2025 targets, 129 to 55, and receptions, 102 to 46. Overall, Christian McCaffrey led 4 of 7 measured categories.
Bijan Robinson led Jahmyr Gibbs in 2025 carries, 287 to 243, and rushing yards, 1,478 to 1,223. Overall, Bijan Robinson led 6 of 7 measured categories.
De'Von Achane led James Cook in 2025 targets, 85 to 40, and receptions, 67 to 33. Overall, De'Von Achane led 4 of 7 measured categories.
Puka Nacua led Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2025 targets, 166 to 163, and receptions, 129 to 119. Overall, Puka Nacua led 3 of 5 measured categories.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase split the 2025 season: Amon-Ra St. Brown led receiving touchdowns, 11 to 8; Ja'Marr Chase led targets, 185 to 172. The choice comes down to situation rather than last year's production.
George Pickens led Chris Olave in 2025 receiving yards, 1,429 to 1,163, and yards per reception, 15.37 to 11.63. Overall, George Pickens led 3 of 5 measured categories.
Trey McBride led Kyle Pitts in 2025 targets, 169 to 118, and receptions, 126 to 88. Overall, Trey McBride led 5 of 6 measured categories.
Travis Kelce led Dallas Goedert in 2025 targets, 108 to 82, and receptions, 76 to 60. Overall, Travis Kelce led 5 of 6 measured categories.
Tyler Warren led Harold Fannin Jr. in 2025 targets, 112 to 107, and receptions, 76 to 72. Overall, Tyler Warren led 5 of 6 measured categories.
Every head-to-head comparison is built the same way, from the same bounded set.
How it works
Search two names you're deciding between for this week's lineup.
Each player's season production, category by category, next to who his team plays this week.
You get the facts on one screen, then layer in the latest news before lineups lock.
Asked & answered
This page won't hand you a verdict, and that's deliberate: gamedai does not publish a weekly opponent-adjusted projection, and nothing in this repo measures how hard a fixture is. What it gives you is both halves of the real decision. Each player's measured 2025 production, category by category, next to who his team actually plays this week, home or away, with kickoff. Pick a pairing below and you'll see both on one screen.
Two committed snapshots. Player production is 2025 regular-season data from nflverse play-by-play, published under CC BY 4.0. Fixtures are the 2026 regular season, 272 games across 18 weeks, from the ESPN public site API. Both snapshots sit in the repo, so a page can't show a figure that wasn't there when it was built.
No. There's no weekly projection here, no expert grade, no crowd pick, and no strength-of-schedule rating. Describing a week's opponent as easy or hard would be an invention, because nothing in this repo measures that. The season numbers are measured, the fixture is the published league calendar, and everything past those two facts is your judgment.
By rule, not by hand. A pairing has to be two players at the same position, both above a measured volume floor, and close enough in production that a person would genuinely be weighing one against the other. That bounded set is the same one behind every comparison page on the site, so a pairing here is never picked to flatter a conclusion.
Yes, and there's no login. The comparison form at the top runs in your browser, and every pairing linked below is a page you can read without an account. The full gamedai app is live and free to open in your browser.
Want the full picture beyond one matchup? Check where each player lands in the final rankings, price a deal with the trade analyzer, and layer in the latest from the Wire before lineups lock. Or view Scout direction.
These pages are free and stay free. gamedai is free to start, then $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
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