Who Should I Start? Drake Maye or Joe Milton III

Sunday, January 5, 2:03 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was pulled from Sunday's AFC East clash with the Bills. The Pats are playing for draft picks, so the signal-caller will finish by failing to connect on his lone pass attempt. He wasn't the most reliable rookie quarterback during the 2024-25 campaign, throwing for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, adding 54 carries for 421 yards and two touchdowns. It's obvious New England has work to do to bolster depth on the offensive side of the ball. With that said, dynasty managers can consider retaining Maye for at least another season to see how things play out, although he may not be a viable fantasy starter in 2025-26. With Maye presumably done for the remainder of Week 18, Joe Milton III is in under center and has already thrown a touchdown.

Sunday, January 5, 7:50 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III completed 22 of his 29 pass attempts for 241 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. He also rushed 10 times for 16 yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. Milton didn't take a sack or throw an interception in the victory, but he did lose a fumble on a botched hand-off with Antonio Gibson. The Patriots needed a loss to secure the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and in order to get some extra film on Milton, they benched Drake Maye after the opening drive. Milton performed better than anyone could have imagined, completing each of his first 11 pass attempts. He totaled two touchdowns and showed phenomenal mobility. The win dropped New England from No. 1 to No. 4 in the draft order, but that's arguably a fair price to pay in exchange for the assurance that New England has two talented, young playmakers in its quarterback room entering 2025. Maye will remain the starter while Milton is likely headed for the backup role.