Saquon Barkley vs Justin Jefferson
2026 draft comparison · half-PPR
Updated Aug 19, 2026
All time: Barkley 42.5%Jefferson 57.5%
Should you draft Saquon Barkley or Justin Jefferson?
Last season — 2025, per game
Full game log & past seasons
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | ATT | YD | TD | TGT | REC | RYD | RTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | DAL | 16.4 | RB7 | 18 | 60 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 0 |
2 | KC | 16.4 | RB10 | 22 | 88 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
3 | LAR | 7.5 | RB31 | 18 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
4 | TB | 15.4 | RB17 | 19 | 43 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 0 |
5 | DEN | 16.3 | RB10 | 6 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 1 |
6 | NYG | 7.7 | RB21 | 12 | 58 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
7 | MIN | 4.7 | RB38 | 18 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
8 | NYG | 31.4 | RB4 | 14 | 150 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 1 |
9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
10 | GB | 11.6 | RB20 | 22 | 60 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 0 |
11 | DET | 9.5 | RB27 | 26 | 83 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
12 | DAL | 8.9 | RB24 | 10 | 22 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 52 | 0 |
13 | CHI | 5.6 | RB43 | 13 | 56 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
14 | LAC | 18.2 | RB6 | 20 | 122 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
15 | LV | 16.2 | RB10 | 22 | 78 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
16 | WAS | 21.2 | RB10 | 21 | 132 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
17 | BUF | 6.8 | RB29 | 19 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Earlier seasons (2024)
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | ATT | YD | TD | TGT | REC | RYD | RTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GB | 32.2 | RB1 | 24 | 109 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 1 |
2 | ATL | 15.6 | RB11 | 22 | 95 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 0 |
3 | NO | 31.6 | RB1 | 17 | 147 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
4 | TB | 12.6 | RB21 | 10 | 84 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 0 |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | CLE | 6.4 | RB32 | 18 | 47 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
7 | NYG | 25.7 | RB3 | 17 | 176 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
8 | CIN | 11.6 | RB25 | 22 | 108 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
9 | JAX | 31.4 | RB1 | 27 | 159 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 1 |
10 | DAL | 8.3 | RB25 | 14 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
11 | WAS | 32.8 | RB2 | 26 | 146 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 52 | 0 |
12 | LAR | 44.2 | RB1 | 26 | 255 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 47 | 0 |
13 | BAL | 18.7 | RB7 | 23 | 107 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
14 | CAR | 14.4 | RB16 | 20 | 124 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
15 | PIT | 8.4 | RB30 | 19 | 65 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
16 | WAS | 27.0 | RB4 | 29 | 150 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
17 | DAL | 17.9 | RB6 | 31 | 167 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | TGT | REC | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CHI | 12.8 | WR20 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 1 |
2 | ATL | 9.6 | WR38 | 6 | 3 | 81 | 0 |
3 | CIN | 10.0 | WR33 | 7 | 5 | 75 | 0 |
4 | PIT | 17.6 | WR9 | 11 | 10 | 126 | 0 |
5 | CLE | 15.8 | WR11 | 11 | 7 | 123 | 0 |
6 | BYE | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | PHI | 10.4 | WR26 | 10 | 5 | 79 | 0 |
8 | LAC | 10.9 | WR26 | 11 | 7 | 74 | 0 |
9 | DET | 13.7 | WR18 | 9 | 6 | 47 | 1 |
10 | BAL | 5.7 | WR44 | 12 | 4 | 37 | 0 |
11 | CHI | 8.6 | WR27 | 9 | 5 | 61 | 0 |
12 | GB | 6.8 | WR39 | 6 | 4 | 48 | 0 |
13 | SEA | 1.4 | WR95 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
14 | WAS | 2.1 | WR81 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
15 | DAL | 3.2 | WR77 | 8 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
16 | NYG | 11.5 | WR26 | 8 | 6 | 85 | 0 |
17 | DET | 5.0 | WR52 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 0 |
18 | GB | 14.4 | WR10 | 11 | 8 | 101 | 0 |
Earlier seasons (2024)
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | TGT | REC | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | NYG | 13.9 | WR15 | 6 | 4 | 59 | 1 |
2 | SF | 21.3 | WR7 | 7 | 4 | 133 | 1 |
3 | HOU | 17.1 | WR14 | 8 | 6 | 81 | 1 |
4 | GB | 17.5 | WR11 | 8 | 6 | 85 | 1 |
5 | NYJ | 12.2 | WR23 | 14 | 6 | 92 | 0 |
6 | BYE | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | DET | 17.9 | WR5 | 8 | 7 | 81 | 1 |
8 | LAR | 15.5 | WR13 | 9 | 8 | 115 | 0 |
9 | IND | 18.1 | WR9 | 9 | 7 | 137 | 0 |
10 | JAX | 7.3 | WR33 | 9 | 5 | 48 | 0 |
11 | TEN | 11.1 | WR29 | 8 | 6 | 81 | 0 |
12 | CHI | 3.7 | WR64 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 0 |
13 | ARI | 13.4 | WR23 | 9 | 7 | 99 | 0 |
14 | ATL | 28.7 | WR4 | 7 | 7 | 132 | 2 |
15 | CHI | 16.8 | WR15 | 14 | 7 | 73 | 1 |
16 | SEA | 31.4 | WR1 | 13 | 10 | 144 | 2 |
17 | GB | 13.2 | WR29 | 11 | 8 | 92 | 0 |
18 | DET | 6.9 | WR55 | 9 | 3 | 54 | 0 |
Latest takes
“There is a healthy trove of data showing regression for players the year following such a wildly busy season — as recently as last year, we saw Saquon Barkley ‘s production drop off steeply from 2024, when he led the league with over 2,000 rushing yards.”
Kyle Lesti· Aug 11“I think Barkley could have a bounce-back year, and he is being underrated. After he was going 1.01 in drafts, most fantasy owners will rightfully feel burned by him this year.”
Jason Kamlowsky· Aug 11“After an insane 2024 season, Saquon Barkley was poised to come back down to earth some in 2025.”
FantasyPros Staff· Aug 7
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“If anything were to happen to Saquon Barkley , Bigsby would be a huge beneficiary for fantasy.”
Kurt Mullen· Jul 29“31 10 21 James Cook 13 5 8 Josh Jacobs 7 15 -8 Saquon Barkley 2 13 -11 Bucky Irving 10 33 -23 In past years, so many top RBs have gotten hurt that the Zero (or hero) RB draft strategies have become popular.”
Jordan Pullett· Jul 29“Likely everyone’s biggest question around the Eagles is, can Saquon Barkley bounce back in 2026? The simple answer is yes; it is in the range of outcomes. However, the reality is that Saquon is 29 and getting older.”
Maggie Thraen· Jul 25“For 2025, Saquon had an 8% greater success rate running Outside vs Inside Zone .”
Vernon Meighan· Jul 21“While a minor post-Super Bowl efficiency dip was baked into 2025 projections, Saquon Barkley ’s drop from RB4 draft capital to an RB14 positional finish exposed severe infrastructure cracks.”
Vernon Meighan· Jul 21“After finishing last year as the RB14, fantasy players should avoid drafting Barkley as a mid-range RB1.”
Mike Fanelli· Jul 20“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) After running laps around the position in 2024, Saquon Barkley’s finish of RB14 was a shock. Despite only missing one game, he scored 214 fantasy points compared to the 339 points he scored in 2024.”
Ellis Johnson· Jul 17“Given the season he had in 2024 and the expectations created for gamers, Barkley may have produced the most disappointing 1,413-yard, 9-touchdown season in history. Regression was certainly expected coming off his historic run the year before, and a lot went wrong for this offense.”
Rich Hribar· Jul 7“Add this all up — plus another 300+ projected touches — and Barkley could be looking at another top-five season at running back at a significant discount on Fantrax. He has a realistic path to another 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 10+ touchdowns.”
Ryan Kirksey· Jul 7“With a new offensive coordinator and a healthy offensive line, it's not hard to start seeing the positives for Barkley. The Eagles running back is the undoubted No. 1 RB on an offense that will score points.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 30“Barkley had an absurd number of touches in 2024 and ran hot on explosive runs. Once he and the Eagles were hit with regression, it was no wonder things crashed back to Earth.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 30“Over the last two seasons, Barkley has averaged just 35 receptions for 275 receiving yards and two touchdowns. A decline in per-touch efficiency, as he nears 30, is also working against him, as he has steadily transitioned away from being a big-play threat and into more of a volume-based option at running back.”
Evan Tarracciano· Jun 25
“Jefferson has been a fantasy superstar since he entered the NFL. Unfortunately, the veteran is coming off a massively disappointing season, finishing last year as the WR21, averaging 11.9 PPR fantasy points per game despite finishing seventh in the league with 141 targets.”
Mike Fanelli· Aug 15“With a better quarterback, Justin Jefferson is a top-five pick, but with J.J. McCarthy ‘s past poor play and the uncertainty of Kyler Murray , we get a discount on one of the best wide receivers in the league.”
Kurt Blakeway· Aug 14“Last year, Jefferson was still sixth in target share (28.5%) and seventh in first-read share (35.1%), so we should all expect the Minnesota passing attack to run through their alpha wide receiver again in 2026.”
FantasyPros Staff· Aug 14
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“Last year, Justin Jefferson had a horrible runout as the WR28 in fantasy points per game (WR14 in expected fantasy points per game). Obviously, a ton of his season was impacted by the level of quarterback play, but Jefferson also slid to 36th in separation score and 38th in route win rate (among 109 qualifying receivers, per Fantasy Points Data).”
FantasyPros Staff· Aug 14“Justin Jefferson is the fifth-best wide receiver in the Madden universe, apparently”
The FF Newsletter· Aug 6“Tate isn’t entering the NFL with the pedigree of a Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson , for example, but his combination of age, draft capital, and college production is extremely appealing”
Ryan Kirksey· Aug 6“Having Justin Jefferson , Jordan Addison , and Jauan Jennings at your disposal is an embarrassment of riches”
Kyle Zeigler· Aug 6“Round 3: Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN) Wow. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Justin Jefferson ?”
Richard Janvrin· Aug 5“This wasn’t Jefferson’s fault, however. Among wide receivers with 50+ targets, Jefferson ranked 58th in catchable target rate (71%). J.J. McCarthy stunk, and all indications are that Kyler Murray is the clear favorite to be the starter in 2026, and possibly beyond.”
Tom Strachan· Jul 27“From WR2 in 2024 to WR21 in 2025, Justin Jefferson took quite the fall in production.”
Vernon Meighan· Jul 24“Jefferson should immediately become Murray’s go-to receiver, making an overall WR1 finish well within reach.”
Kyle Zeigler· Jul 23“Malik Nabers, CeeDee Lamb, and Justin Jefferson all have similar LTV scores in the same range as Love’s.”
Jonathan Lange· Jul 21“The Ballers agree that if Kyler takes the leading QB role, they are confident that Jefferson will be back as a top-tier WR. However, they see him more as a back-end WR1.”
Maggie Thraen· Jul 19“He opened with Justin Jefferson after a surprising run of young quarterbacks fell in the first round, then doubled up at quarterback anyway, taking Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams back to back once he realized how many were sliding.”
FantasyPros Staff· Jul 19“Justin Jefferson had fewer receiving yards in 2025 (1,048) than he did in 2023, when he only played 10 games (1,074). Jefferson also had a career-low 12.5 yards per reception and a career-low two receiving touchdowns.”
Tom Strachan· Jul 18