Who Should I Start? Joe Burrow or J.J. McCarthy
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.2 | 9.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Joe Burrow News
Saturday, July 18, 5:26 AM
In an era where rushing quarterbacks rule the day, Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow is one of the few true pocket passers still capable of delivering a QB1 finish. While he is not totally incapable of scrambling to move the chains, his 257 rushing yards in 2022 remain a career high, while his five rushing scores from that same season also look to be a bit of an outlier. Meanwhile, in his three healthy seasons, he's averaged 4,668 yards and 37 touchdowns through the air, twice finishing as a top-four fantasy quarterback. Obviously, those three healthy years only account for half of his career, with durability being his biggest knock since tearing his ACL as a rookie and missing at least seven games in two subsequent seasons. However, when things are going right in Cincinnati, as they appear to be heading into 2026, Burrow remains one of the elite fantasy difference-makers, and he enters his age-30 season as RotoBaller's QB5.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
J.J. McCarthy News
Monday, June 29, 12:29 PM
After missing his entire rookie season in 2024 with a knee injury, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was handed his team's starting job entering 2025. The 23-year-old missed seven games with ankle, hand, and concussion issues, and he was highly ineffective when healthy. Across his 10 starts, McCarthy completed 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy is still very young, and he carries some dual-threat potential for fantasy managers after rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. He enters 2026 in a battle with veteran quarterback Kyler Murray for the Vikings QB1 role. While Minnesota has not named a starter, Murray is the presumptive favorite. Still, Murray has been highly injury-prone in his career, missing at least nine games in two out of the last three seasons. Given how far McCarthy's stock has fallen, he could be worth a buy-low dart throw for dynasty managers entering 2026.
Joe Burrow vs. J.J. McCarthy
Still trying to decide between Burrow and McCarthy? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Joe Burrow is projected to score 25.2 points this week while J.J. McCarthy is projected to score 1.5 points.
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