Who Should I Start? J.J. McCarthy or Cam Ward

Wednesday, May 7, 9:26 PM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell didn't really acknowledge whether former first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) will face competition for the starting job in 2025. "J.J. is going to be in a great position to assume and ascend in our organization," O'Connell said on The Rich Eisen Show. "But right now, we really don't have any feelings on competition as much as we've got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase." Sam Howell and Brett Rypien are the other options in the QB room. O'Connell did say that McCarthy is "owning it" this offseason and will get plenty of reps with the starters. The 22-year-old missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, but he's fully expected to be ready for the start of 2025. O'Connell said he's seen a difference in McCarthy's footwork, rhythm, timing and cadence from a year ago. The Vikes like him a lot, so he's expected to be the starter in Week 1, where he'll be a low-end QB2 in fantasy with upside.

Wednesday, May 21, 7:15 PM

Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com reports that the Tennessee Titans have signed quarterback Cam Ward to his rookie deal. The first overall pick of April's draft inked a four-year, $48.75 million contract with a $32.1 million signing bonus. Though the Miami alum has been splitting reps evenly with teammate Will Levis thus far in the offseason, there is little reason to believe he won't be able to overtake him come the start of the year. It isn't guaranteed, but unless Levis has significantly improved since his playing time last season, the draft capital and talent will likely prevail. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Ward to impact fantasy lineups immediately, but if he opts to scramble often early on, it would be a big boost to his floor.