Who Should I Start? Bryce Young or Drake Maye

Saturday, January 10, 12:30 PM

Across 16 games in 2025, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The 24-year-old proved himself to be an effective game manager, but he struggled to produce consistent fantasy production in Carolina's run-heavy offense. Young topped 200 passing yards in just four games during the regular season. The Panthers' offense will face a tough test in the first round of the NFC playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. Los Angeles finished the regular season ranked 11th in the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.8) and tied for seventh in sacks (47). It's worth noting that Young was highly efficient in the Panthers' Week 13 win over the Rams, completing 15 of 20 pass attempts for 206 yards and three touchdowns without committing a turnover. However, Carolina leaned heavily into the run game in that matchup with 40 total rush attempts. That could be the game plan again in the playoffs, which would limit Young's opportunities for production. All in all, Young profiles as a difficult quarterback for fantasy managers in playoff leagues to trust against the Rams.

Sunday, January 11, 4:24 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye put together a phenomenal regular season, and he'll look to carry that momentum into Sunday's Wild Card contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Maye was the overall QB2 in fantasy scoring this year, but he'll face a tough test in the form of this Chargers defense. Los Angeles surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points, third-fewest passing touchdowns, and fourth-fewest passing yards to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. The Bolts have also intercepted 19 passes, which is third-most in the NFL. Maye has excelled against tough defenses in the past, so he'll just need to play diligent, clean football with the season on the line Sunday. One possible route to success for Maye is running the football. Just last weekend, Bo Nix rushed for a season-high 49 yards against the Chargers, and we could see Maye follow a similar style of play. He has six passing touchdowns over his last two games and remains a high-upside option for Wild Card Weekend.