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

Thursday, October 16, 9:05 PM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (toe), who suffered a serious turf-toe injury back in Week 2, is on track to return from Injured Reserve in mid-December, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Burrow is a month into a three-month recovery after having surgery for a Grade 3 turf-toe injury. Burrow has been doing well in his rehab and has not had any setbacks, which means he's still in play to return at the tail end of the regular season if the Bengals still have something to play for. He has told people he has every intention of playing again this year, but he just needs Cincinnati to stay in the hunt in the meantime. The 28-year-old isn't guaranteed to be in play for the fantasy playoffs, so managers shouldn't feel obligated to hold onto him in redraft leagues. Jake Browning struggled with turnovers (eight picks in four games) after replacing Burrow, leading Cincy to trade for veteran Joe Flacco to try and keep the team's playoff hopes alive.

Monday, November 3, 12:41 PM

In his first game since suffering a high-ankle sprain in the Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy impressively led his team to a big road win over the division-rival Detroit Lions on Sunday in Week 9. While the 22-year-old's final stat line wasn't all that impressive -- he went 14-for-25 passing for only 143 yards -- he did throw two touchdowns and added another score on 12 rushing yards. What was impressive was the fact that he was able to lead Minnesota to a tough road win behind a shaky offensive line against a strong opponent in just his third career start after a lengthy injury absence. McCarthy's two touchdown passes went to receiver Justin Jefferson and tight end T.J. Hockenson, with both coming in the first half. At the very last, he's worth stashing as a QB2 with upside in fantasy as he heads into a Week 10 meeting against the Baltimore Ravens.