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

START

Week 2 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
20.9 15.7 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0

Bryce Young News

Bryce Young's Four Touchdowns Not Enough in Week 1 Loss

Sunday, September 13, 8:49 PM

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 23 of his 37 pass attempts for 361 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's 59-37 loss against the Carolina Panthers. He also logged an additional 10 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, bringing him to a total of four touchdowns in Week 1. Other than the loss, the only real blemish on Young's stat line was the one interception. He did take two sacks, but that's not an alarming number considering he attempted 37 passes and the Panthers' offense ran 62 plays. It's fair to assume that Young's counting stats will come back down to earth in a lower-scoring game that doesn't require him to pass as much, but at least he showed that he's capable of going toe-to-toe against one of the best teams in football. He should remain in the low-end QB1 tier for next week's very favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

BENCH

Week 2 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
2.2 1.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

J.J. McCarthy News

J.J. McCarthy Demoted to Third-String Role

Wednesday, September 9, 10:51 AM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is the backup to starter Kyler Murray and that J.J. McCarthy is the third-stringer to open the 2026 season, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. It will be a week-to-week evaluation. "This gives us the best chance to win," O'Connell said. The writing was on the wall for the 23-year-old former first-rounder from Michigan when the Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason in free agency. McCarthy lost out in the training camp QB battle to Murray, and after struggling in the preseason and getting banged up, he will enter his third year in the NFL as the team's QB3. In his first full season as the Vikings' starter in 2025, McCarthy only played in 10 games due to various injuries and struggled with his accuracy, completing 140 of his 243 pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy's best path back to fantasy relevance in dynasty/keeper leagues might be a trade out of Minnesota at this point.

Bryce Young vs. J.J. McCarthy

Still trying to decide between Young and McCarthy? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Bryce Young is projected to score 20.9 points this week while J.J. McCarthy is projected to score 2.2 points.