Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Desmond Ridder

Friday, October 24, 4:56 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee, oblique) is ready to go for the Week 8 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Mayfield is a little banged up right now, but that's not going to stop him from suiting up. The 28-year-old wasn't able to offer much to fantasy managers last week. Mayfield threw for 228 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss to the Detroit Lions. As always, Mayfield will be playing shorthanded with Chris Godwin (leg), Mike Evans (collarbone), and Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) all sidelined. However, the Bucs will still have Emeka Egbuka, so Mayfield should be able to offer QB1 value against the below average Saints defense.

Tuesday, September 16, 5:09 PM

The Minnesota Vikings signed free-agent quarterback Desmond Ridder to their 53-man roster on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Vikings need some depth at the QB position with J.J. McCarthy out two to four weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the Sunday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons. With McCarthy out for Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and possibly beyond, veteran Carson Wentz will step into starting duties under center for Minnesota, with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer serving as his backup. Given Brosmer's lack of experience in the NFL, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Ridder be elevated to the No. 2 role sooner than later once he learns the offense. Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022 by the Falcons, quickly wore out his welcome in Atlanta and spent last year as the backup for the Las Vegas Raiders.