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

Monday, July 13, 11:43 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee) admitted on the second season of Netflix's "Quarterback" that he sprained his MCL and PCL and suffered a bone bruise in his knee in Week 2 last year against the Houston Texans. Mayfield played with the injuries all year and then aggravated the bone bruise in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions. This helps makes some sense of why the 31-year-old struggled so badly in the second half, ultimately finishing with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 games. Mayfield was in the MVP conversation through the first portion of 2025, leading Tampa to a 6-2 record before collapsing in the second half and failing to make the postseason. The 31-year-old also suffered a tendon injury in his bicep in Week 3 and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. Injuries definitely appeared to hamper Mayfield last year, which could make him a bounce-back candidate in 2026 in a new offensive system under coordinator Zac Robinson. Still, fantasy managers are better off targeting the veteran signal-caller as a midrange QB2 as he heads into his ninth year in the NFL.