Who Should I Start? Caleb Williams or Cameron Ward

Saturday, December 27, 4:52 PM

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off a stellar Week 16 performance, totaling 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 30 rushing yards, in the thrilling overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers. Alongside head coach Ben Johnson, Williams has led the Bears to an 11-4 record and could clinch the NFC North with a Week 17 win and a Packers loss. He faces the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, who have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. In Week 16, the 49ers defense allowed 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers to total 277 passing yards and two touchdowns. With good weather expected, Williams offers upside as a QB2 against this injury-plagued 49ers defense.

Tuesday, December 30, 4:12 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cameron Ward, the first overall pick back in April, has completed 59.6% of his passes for 3,117 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his first year in the NFL. He's added 148 rushing yards and a score while also fumbling a league-high 11 times (losing seven). Ward's 79.8 passer rating ranks 26th out of 27 qualifying QBs. He's been sacked 55 times, tied for the most in the NFL. The 23-year-old came into the NFL with a sharp learning curve after spending most of his college career in an Air Raid system. Ward has made some wow plays with his strong arm, but "there are some around the NFL who are concerned his accuracy will have a ceiling if he doesn't refine his mechanics," according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. Ward's scrambling ability can help him compensate for some of it, but in the long term, he could be inconsistent if he doesn't clean up his mechanics.