Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Bryce Young

Friday, July 25, 3:58 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told The Athletic that he is eyeing an extension "when the time is right" for quarterback Baker Mayfield, and hopes that Mayfield "continues to be our quarterback for a long time." The 30-year-old Mayfield still has two years remaining on his current contract, but he's coming off the best season of his career in 2024. In 17 games, he threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, chipping in 378 yards and three touchdowns as a rusher for good measure. Mayfield has an excellent supporting cast of receivers to work with in Tampa Bay between Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan. While he may see some touchdown regression in 2025, Mayfield is a good bet to rack up passing yards and provide solid back-end QB1 play in fantasy.

Saturday, June 28, 11:07 AM

The Athletic's Joseph Person writes that Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has shown an increased comfort level in his second year in head coach Dave Canales' offensive system, especially when he carved up the first-team defense in the red zone during minicamp. Young's intensity also caught the eyes and ears of media members this offseason. Pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney said that Young needed to play with more energy last year, and the former first overall pick has engaged in trash-talk sessions with cornerback Jaycee Horn. The 23-year-old was pretty bad in his first year and a half, but he looked different down the stretch in 2024 after being benched and threw seven TDs and no picks in his final three games. He's going to need to improve his accuracy and decision-making to take the next step in Year 3, but Young at least showed some signs to give fantasy managers hope that he can be a solid QB2 with upside.