Who Should I Start? Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy

Thursday, July 24, 1:04 PM

SI.com's Patricia Traina reports that New York Giants quarterbacks Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart were splitting reps in 11-on-11 drills at training camp practice on Thursday. Winston appeared to be the No. 3 QB during workouts this spring at OTAs, but at least on Thursday, it was more of an even split under center behind starter Russell Wilson. This could vary on a day-by-day basis in training camp, but as things stand early on, it looks like it will be an even competition between Winston and Dart for the backup job in the Big Apple. Winston, 31, clearly has the edge given his experience in the NFL, but if Dart looks up to the task in camp and the preseason, it's possible that the G-Men look to trade Winston to a QB-needy team before the regular season. Winston has developed a reputation for being a happy-go-lucky gunslinger that racks up the turnovers.

Tuesday, June 17, 12:07 PM

There are plenty of question marks surrounding Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick last year, after he missed his rookie season in 2024 with a torn right meniscus in his knee. However, ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that McCarthy's arm strength has been fine after it was a topic of discussion going into the 2024 draft. "He definitely has an arm," receiver Justin Jefferson said. "That's for sure. He can definitely zip it whenever he needs to." His arm has looked especially lively on throws down the middle of the field, and McCarthy is starting to learn to vary his throws after Jefferson noted last summer that the rookie tended to throw every ball the same way -- hard and straight. With no threats to the starting job under center, the 22-year-old is Minnesota's clear starting QB going into 2025 and has some of the best weapons in the league. He's a QB2 with upside in fantasy.