Who Should I Start? Derek Carr or Baker Mayfield

Monday, January 13, 4:36 PM

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said on Monday that he still has a high level of confidence in quarterback Derek Carr. In his second season in New Orleans, Carr missed the final four games of the season due to a concussion and broken hand and missed a total of seven games due to injury in total. In the 10 starts that Carr did make, he completed 67.7% of his 279 pass attempts for a career-low 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. The four-time Pro Bowler has played in only 17 games in his two seasons in the Big Easy and carries an absurd $51 million salary cap hit in 2025. The 33-year-old doesn't have any guaranteed money left on the final two years of his deal, but it will still be tough for the Saints to move on given his salary cap hit. Carr's $30 million base salary and $10 million roster bonus for 2025 will kick in in the middle of March, so we should have more clarity by then.

Monday, January 13, 12:10 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 15 of 18 pass attempts for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. He also took one sack and rushed for 23 yards. It was an uncharacteristically quiet showing for Mayfield, who hadn't completed fewer than 18 passes since Week 2 of the regular season. With that said, fantasy managers and bettors have to be pleased with his high completion rate and overall clean performance as he didn't turn the ball over. Mayfield finished the 2024 campaign with the NFC's most passing touchdowns, but he also led the whole league in interceptions. His high passing output keeps him in the mid-range QB1 conversation for 2025 fantasy football.