Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
21.9 18.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Baker Mayfield News

Baker Mayfield Played Through MCL, PCL Injuries Last Year

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.

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
20.6 25.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0

Kyler Murray News

Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy Dead-Even in QB Competition Heading into Camp?

Thursday, July 9, 6:02 PM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wouldn't shed much light on where the quarterback competition stands between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show with training camp quickly approaching later this month, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "Kyler has come in and done a great job," O'Connell said. "J.J., I think, has benefited from it; he's had a really good spring. Carson Wentz is this veteran quarterback in the room," O'Connell said. Some believe that Murray is already the favorite to win the starting job, but O'Connell isn't going to admit it before camp even begins. Murray, 28, flamed out with the Arizona Cardinals and is no stranger to injury, but given his experience and dual-threat abilities, he makes sense as the QB1 to begin the 2026 regular season, and he will have clear bounce-back potential in a better offensive situation in Minnesota with a QB whisperer as his new head coach. In fantasy, Murray is the much more intriguing QB2 option with upside because of his rushing ability. RotoBaller has Murray ranked as the QB19, with McCarthy not even listed among the top-34 signal-callers.

Baker Mayfield vs. Kyler Murray

Still trying to decide between Mayfield and Murray? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Baker Mayfield is projected to score 21.9 points this week while Kyler Murray is projected to score 20.6 points.