Who Should I Start? Dak Prescott or J.J. McCarthy

Monday, August 18, 6:32 PM

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will not play in the team's preseason finale on Friday against the Atlanta Falcons, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. The Cowboys want to see more from backup Joe Milton III. Prescott will end up sitting for the entire preseason after playing in only eight games a year ago due to a torn hamstring. The 32-year-old veteran is fully healthy now after having surgery, but the Cowboys want to keep him on ice until the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 4 against the division-rival and reigning Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. Prescott enters the 2025 campaign as one of the better picks at the position for a bounce-back season if he can stay healthy after the Cowboys gave him another aerial weapon in receiver George Pickens. He is on the QB1/2 borderline for fantasy purposes.

Thursday, August 14, 9:39 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy had his "best practice of camp" on Thursday and impressed with both his consistency and accuracy, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. Lewis notes that McCarthy had a stretch of practice where he completed 13 straight passes and threw for six touchdowns. The 22-year-old former first-round pick is preparing for his first year as an NFL starter after missing his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus in his knee. McCarthy will likely experience some growing pains, but he has a lot of playmaking talent around him in Minnesota and an excellent play-calling head coach in Kevin O'Connell. He profiles as a mid-tier QB2 in fantasy, but he's got more upside than some of the other quarterbacks being drafted in his range.