Who Should I Start? J.J. McCarthy or Shedeur Sanders

Tuesday, January 13, 2:54 PM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he wants a competitive situation at quarterback going into next season, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. O'Connell said McCarthy "is going to be a major emphasis," but "the competition in that room will only enhance the entire team." The Vikings want McCarthy to seize the starting job, but he's going to have to earn it and play better than he did in 2026, and the Vikings are fully expected to add to their QB room to push McCarthy this offseason. The 22-year-old former first-round signal-caller missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to a knee injury that required surgery. McCarthy missed time with multiple injuries in 2025 and struggled with turnovers and efficiency when he was on the field, completing 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts. Fantasy managers will want to see improvement from the Michigan product before considering him as anything more than a low-end QB2 option with upside.

Monday, January 5, 1:09 PM

The Cleveland Browns liked what they saw from rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in his first year in the NFL, but they also acknowledged that he has plenty to work on going into 2026, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "He's still very much a work in progress, like many people," general manager Andrew Berry said. The 23-year-old fifth-rounder didn't make his NFL debut until Week 11 after fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Sanders took over as the starter, though, and started the final seven games for Cleveland. He had his ups and downs, completing 59.2% of his passes for 1,353 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions while running for 153 yards and another score. Sanders showed enough athleticism and arm strength to at least put himself in the competition for the starting gig going into next season, where he's expected to compete with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) and Gabriel.