Who Should I Start? Bryce Young or J.J. McCarthy

Wednesday, December 3, 11:09 AM

ESPN's Dan Graziano writes that he expects the Carolina Panthers to pick up quarterback Bryce Young's fifth-year option for the 2027 season, but that there is uncertainty about Young's future in Carolina beyond his rookie contract. The number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Young has rebounded from a horrendous rookie season over the past two years, most notably leading Carolina to a 7-5 record in his starts this season. However, questions remain about the 24-year-old's true franchise-leading upside. Across 12 starts in 2025, Young has completed 63.4% of his pass attempts for 2,337 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He hasn't exactly had an amazing supporting cast around him in Carolina, but Young has also averaged an extremely underwhelming six yards per pass attempt across his 42 career NFL games. It appears as though the Panthers are committed to Young in the short term, but remain in wait-and-see mode as far as handing him a contract extension.

Sunday, December 7, 4:51 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career as the Vikings throttled Washington 31-0 on Sunday. The second-year quarterback finished the day by completing 16 of 23 passing attempts for 163 yards, added 19 rushing yards on six carries, and, crucially, did not commit a turnover. Even against one of the NFL's bottom-tier defenses, McCarthy's performance was a sigh of relief following weeks of persistent struggles. McCarthy led scoring drives of 61 and 98 yards on the Vikings' first two possessions, and the Minnesota defense pitched a shutout to let the offense lean on the running game thereafter. The Vikings are effectively out of the playoff picture, but will use the rest of the season to take a long look at McCarthy, whose career-best 129.2 passer rating on Sunday was a strong first step in the right direction. He'll see another plus fantasy matchup against a leaky Dallas pass defense in Week 15.