Who Should I Start? Carson Wentz or Baker Mayfield

Monday, October 27, 5:37 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (shoulder) will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder and will be placed on Injured Reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. To fill Wentz's spot on the active 53-man roster, the Vikings claimed tight end Ben Sims on waivers from the division-rival Green Bay Packers. The 32-year-old Wentz started the team's last five games with J.J. McCarthy working his way back from a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Wentz was in undeniable pain every time he was hit last Thursday night's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and now he won't play again this year. There were questions as to whether McCarthy would be ready to play in Week 9 against the division-rival Detroit Lions, but now that Wentz is out, the Vikes will be left with Max Brosmer if McCarthy isn't cleared to start this Sunday. Wentz finishes his 10th year in the NFL with 1,216 passing yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions in his five starts.

Wednesday, November 19, 7:53 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (illness) was under the weather on Wednesday with an illness and did not practice, according to Tom Pelissero of ESPN. There is a bug going around Tampa's locker room right now, which is something to keep an eye on heading into Sunday night's showdown against the Los Angeles Rams. However, Mayfield should be good to go by the time Sunday rolls around. The 30-year-old signal-caller is just outside the top 10 QBs in overall fantasy points so far in 2025 with 2,365 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and only three interceptions in 10 games played. However, he has failed to top 200 yards passing in two of the last three games and will have his hands full this weekend in L.A. against a Rams defense that just forced Seahawks QB Sam Darnold into four picks. Mayfield will be more of a high-end QB2 for fantasy managers if he's active on Sunday night.