Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or J.J. McCarthy

Sunday, October 12, 9:52 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield led his team to its fifth win of the season in Week 6, beating the San Francisco 49ers 30-19. Mayfield completed 17 of his 23 pass attempts for 256 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception and added 14 rushing yards on three carries. The 30-year-old has now thrown for 1,309 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first six games of 2025. Tampa Bay entered Week 6 without wide receivers Mike Evans (hamstring), Chris Godwin (leg), and Jalen McMillan (neck), and then lost star rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) to a hamstring injury during the game. It's currently unclear how long the Buccaneers will be without their top four wide receivers. Regardless, Mayfield has proven himself to be a worthy fantasy QB1 on a week-to-week basis.

Sunday, October 12, 10:35 AM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) had a productive bye week and should return to practice within the next few days. However, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, McCarthy's availability for Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles remains uncertain. The second-year signal caller "is not 100 percent," and it remains to be seen how his ankle will respond to consecutive days of practice. Fantasy managers should look for updates when the Vikings post their official injury reports during the upcoming week, as those reports will offer more clarity on McCarthy's practice involvement and whether he's trending in the right direction for Week 7. If he can't play, Carson Wentz (shoulder) should be the presumptive starter.