Jackson
QB · BAL vs TEN
Proj pts
17.9pts
market
Love
QB · GB vs TB
Proj pts
16.3pts
market
Jordan Love or Lamar Jackson: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Lamar Jackson. Bench Jordan Love. Lamar Jackson leads at 17.9. Jordan Love is the first one out, 1.6 short.
Crowd: started Jackson 91% · Love 50%
Availability & news
Lamar Jackson
Jackson (back) was a full participant at Thursday's practice.(rotowire, Oct 1, 2026)
Highlights
Pros
- Rushing floor5.2 rush att/g
- High-scoring spot27.5 team total
- Favorable matchupFavorable · A- vs QB
Cons
- Shaky floor8.7 floor
Pros
- Favorable matchupFavorable · A vs QB
Cons
- Below your start line1.6 pts short
- Shaky floor12.6 floor
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 6:00 AM ET
Why Lamar Jackson
Start Lamar Jackson — projects 17.9, a favorable matchup vs TEN, with a rising role.
Lamar Jackson projects 17.9 points on a 8.7–20.8 range. The matchup grades as favorable against TEN. Usage: pass attempts / game at 23.2. Net: Lamar Jackson is start this week.
Working for Jackson: Rushing floor (5.2 rush att/g), High-scoring spot (27.5 team total), Favorable matchup (Favorable · A- vs QB).
Working against Jackson: Shaky floor (8.7 floor).
Where Jackson leads the head-to-head: Projection (17.9 vs 16.3); Ceiling (20.8 vs 19.6); Implied team total (27.5 vs 21.5); Last 3 avg (20.1 vs 17.3); Last 5 avg (17.1 vs 13.9); vs season (+2.7 vs -1.4); Boom rate (23% vs 20%); Yards per attempt (8.4 vs 7.7); Touchdown rate (7% vs 5%); Rush attempts / game (5.2 vs 3.1); Rush yards / game (26.8 vs 13.3); Rushing production share (21% vs 8%); Implied total (27.5 vs 21.5).
Why Jordan Love
Sit Jordan Love — projects 16.3, a favorable matchup vs TB, with a rising role.
Jordan Love projects 16.3 points on a 12.6–19.6 range. The matchup grades as favorable against TB. Usage: pass attempts / game at 29.3. Net: Jordan Love is a bench this week.
Working for Love: Favorable matchup (Favorable · A vs QB).
Working against Love: Below your start line (1.6 pts short), Shaky floor (12.6 floor).
Where Love leads the head-to-head: Floor (12.6 vs 8.7); Pass attempts (29.3 vs 23.2); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (A vs A-); Consistency (56% vs 49%); Bust rate (13% vs 23%); Pass attempts / game (29.3 vs 23.2); Completions / game (19.4 vs 14.8); Grade vs QB (recency weighted) (A vs A-).
Recent form
Lamar Jackson's last 5 games: PPR points 4.7, 20.4, 25, 14.8, 20.4 (oldest to newest).
Jordan Love's last 5 games: PPR points 13.9, 3.8, 19.5, 13.8, 18.5 (oldest to newest).
Jackson has already beaten Love's 16.3 projection in 3 of his 5; Love has beaten Jackson's 17.9 in 2 of his 5.
At least 1 of these 5 were played before the 2026 season — the card does not date them.
Matchup
Lamar Jackson (BAL) faces TEN, kickoff Sun 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 27.5, spread -11.5.
Jordan Love (GB) faces TB, kickoff Sun 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 21.5, spread -3.5.
What flips it
Jackson's edge is 1.6 points (17.9 to 16.3). Love's ceiling (19.6) clears Jackson's projection, so a big game from Love flips it. Jackson's floor (8.7) sits under Love's projection, so a quiet game from Jackson flips it too. Confidence in the call: moderate.
How to read these numbers
- Confidence in the call
- How clear-cut this start/sit call is — how decisively the player beats the alternative he competes with (for a starter, the best player on your bench; for a bench player, the last one in your lineup), on both projected points and the overlap of their likely ranges. A clear play reads high; a genuine toss-up reads lower. It rates the decision, not the player’s own volatility, and is not a measured accuracy rate.
- Floor
- The 20th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Ceiling
- The 90th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Matchup grade
- The opponent’s points allowed to this position per game, weighted toward recent games, then graded on a curve across the 32 defenses.
- Implied team total
- The points the betting market expects this team to score, derived from the game total and the spread. Market-derived, not modelled by Nuvela.
- Trend
- The direction of his scoring across the trailing window, classified as heating, steady or cooling.
- Consistency
- The share of his games that landed within a set band of his own per-game average.
- Boom rate
- The share of his games that finished inside the top 12 scorers at his position for that week.
- Bust rate
- The share of his games that came in under half of what he was projected for that week.
- Defense funnel
- Whether the opponent’s rush defense and pass defense are far enough apart to push offenses one way. A gap inside the band reads Neutral.
- Game script projection
- The expected state of the game for his team — favoured, level or trailing — taken from the closing spread.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.