Who Should I Start? Joe Burrow or J.J. McCarthy

Wednesday, July 23, 10:52 AM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that quarterback Joe Burrow will play more this preseason than ever before as the team looks to get off to a faster start than in years past. Burrow played sparingly last year, going 5-for-7 for 51 yards and one touchdown in his first action in the preseason since 2021. The Bengals got off to a slow start in 2024 that they could never recover from, so they're hoping to avoid that same situation in 2025 and come out firing in Week 1. The 28-year-old former first overall pick was excellent last year, leading the league in passing yards (4,918), completions (460), pass attempts (652), yards per game (289.3) and touchdowns (43) in 17 starts. It was a nice rebound from his injury-shortened 2023 campaign and a reminder that he's a QB1 in fantasy with perhaps the best receiving duo in the league in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

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.