Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Mason Rudolph

Thursday, December 4, 5:37 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (shoulder) continues to manage an AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder that he suffered in Week 12, but he was upgraded to a full practice on Thursday after putting in a limited session on Wednesday. In the Week 13 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Mayfield went 18-for-28 passing for 194 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions while running for 27 yards. The 30-year-old veteran might be dealing with his left-shoulder injury the rest of the year, but he will be active for a Week 14 divisional contest this Sunday against the 2-10 New Orleans Saints. Don't be fooled by the Saints' record. Their defense is their strength, and they've allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs the last three weeks. In the first meeting with New Orleans, Mayfield went 15-for-24 passing for 152 yards with no TDs or interceptions. He'll be in play as a low-end QB1 in fantasy this weekend, and he could be getting top receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) back from IR.

Sunday, November 23, 10:56 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph will earn the start against the Chicago Bears in Week 12 after Aaron Rodgers (wrist) was ruled out pregame, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rodgers was pushing to play, but the team decided to hold him out. This will be Rudolph's first start of the season, but he also earned significant snaps after Rodgers exited last Sunday. In that game, he completed 12 of 16 pass attempts for 127 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. This week, the veteran will face off against a Bears defense that leads the league in interceptions but has also allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. He's a low-end QB2 for fantasy purposes.