Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or J.J. McCarthy

Friday, June 20, 12:37 AM

The Athletic's Mike DeFabo imagines that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme will take many of the quick-game concepts from the West Coast offense that will help get the ball out of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' hand to keep him upright and take advantage of his quick release. It could mean lots of slants to receiver DK Metcalf and plenty of Shanahan-style concepts like wide-zone runs and play-action passing built off those runs. DeFabo also thinks they will lean heavily on formations that put four eligible receivers on one side of the formation. Metcalf doesn't have much competition for targets in Pittsburgh, but he comes to the Steel City on a decline since 2020 and is now entering a run-first offense with an aging QB that is probably playing in his final season. The 27-year-old physical freak can do damage on slants, and his overall production could come down to his chemistry with Rodgers. RotoBaller has Metcalf on the WR2/3 borderline in 2025.

Tuesday, June 17, 12:07 PM

There are plenty of question marks surrounding Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick last year, after he missed his rookie season in 2024 with a torn right meniscus in his knee. However, ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that McCarthy's arm strength has been fine after it was a topic of discussion going into the 2024 draft. "He definitely has an arm," receiver Justin Jefferson said. "That's for sure. He can definitely zip it whenever he needs to." His arm has looked especially lively on throws down the middle of the field, and McCarthy is starting to learn to vary his throws after Jefferson noted last summer that the rookie tended to throw every ball the same way -- hard and straight. With no threats to the starting job under center, the 22-year-old is Minnesota's clear starting QB going into 2025 and has some of the best weapons in the league. He's a QB2 with upside in fantasy.