Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Cooper Rush

Tuesday, August 19, 5:32 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver DK Metcalf will not suit up for the team's preseason finale on Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. Pass-rushers T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward also will not play. Rodgers will end up not playing at all in the preseason as he heads into his first year with the Steelers and potentially his last year in the NFL. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer will take on his former team, the New York Jets, in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 7, where he'll be an unappealing, low-upside QB2 option for fantasy managers against a strong defense. Rodgers has looked slow during training camp and is expected to be more of a game manager in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme in 2025. With Rodgers on the sidelines on Thursday, Mason Rudolph should start against Carolina.

Tuesday, August 19, 7:11 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that quarterback Cooper Rush will likely start in Saturday's preseason finale against the Washington Commanders. Harbaugh is likely to handle player participation this weekend like he did in the second preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys when he sat most of the starters. Lamar Jackson will end up not playing in any preseason action this year as he looks for another MVP-like season. In last week's win over Dallas, the 31-year-old Rush went 20-for-30 passing for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Rush hasn't been very good in two preseason games, but he's still fully expected to open the 2025 regular season in September as the primary backup to Jackson and ahead of Devin Leary. If Jackson were to miss any time in 2025, Baltimore wouldn't be asking much of Rush in the passing game.