Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or J.J. McCarthy

Tuesday, September 16, 3:09 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith struggled in prime time in the 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. Smith got off to a bad start in this one, throwing an interception on the first play of the game and failing to lead the Raiders to a single touchdown all night against a suffocating Chargers defense. All in all, the 34-year-old veteran went 24-for-43 for 180 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. He ran the ball five times for 20 yards and took three sacks. It was a very disappointing performance after Smith threw for 362 yards in a Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. While fantasy managers shouldn't be writing Smith off for the rest of the year, it's a reminder of why he's more of a matchup-based QB. Smith will get a better matchup in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.

Monday, September 15, 3:35 PM

Updating a previous report, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is expected to miss two to four weeks with a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in Sunday night's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Not only has McCarthy looked pretty bad in seven of the eight quarters he's played in the first two games of his NFL career, but now he's dealing with a multi-week injury. The good news is that when he's ready to return, he'll have receiver Jordan Addison back from suspension. Still, those expecting the 22-year-old former first-rounder to come in right away and play like Sam Darnold in head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense have had a rude awakening. McCarthy deserves to be stashed in superflex and dynasty/keeper leagues, but in the meantime, veteran Carson Wentz could be a sneaky QB2 in two-QB leagues, beginning in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.