Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Andy Dalton

Wednesday, October 22, 12:17 PM

Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers' first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers has gone so well that the team "could rethink its 2026 quarterback plans," according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. The Steelers are definitely going to scour the draft market for a QB of the future for next year and are already doing so. Still, Graziano writes that if you ask people with the Steelers whether they'd consider bringing Rodgers back in 2026, "the answer would be a resounding yes." The future Hall of Famer has "maintained his elite ability to throw the football" and is moving much better than he did in New York with the Jets last year. Rodgers is now healthy and a full two years removed from tearing his left Achilles in 2023, and it's showing. The 41-year-old hasn't been an elite QB1 for fantasy, but he's coming off a four-touchdown performance in Week 7 against the Bengals and has a 14:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in six games as he enters a Week 8 revenge game against his former team, the Green Bay Packers.

Friday, October 24, 6:16 PM

Andy Dalton is making his first start of the 2025 season for the Carolina Panthers. Regular starter Bryce Young is listed as doubtful to start in Week 8 with an ankle injury. This week, Dalton faces Buffalo's run-funnel defense. The Bills have allowed 13.6 fantasy points per game to QBs over the last four weeks, which is fourth-best in the league. That number may be skewed because the Bills also rank 30th in fantasy points per game allowed to running backs in that span. The backup quarterback for Carolina started in five games for the team last season. In those outings, he registered 13 fantasy points on average, with two of those performances being under five points each. He passed for 989 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions in those starts. Compared to 2024, Dalton has better receivers, such as standout rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan, and improving second-year receiver Xavier Legette. Because the Panthers may lean on the running game, Dalton may only be an adequate QB2 to start in Superflex formats.