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

Sunday, August 24, 7:04 AM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco completed nine of his 10 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown in a 19-17 preseason win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. Flacco got the start and played into the second quarter, finding tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. Making his only appearance of the preseason, Flacco has already been named the Browns' starting quarterback heading into Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He settles in as a high-end QB3 in fantasy heading into drafts as the Cleveland offense is not expected to be very explosive this season.

Friday, August 29, 10:41 AM

Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes that the Minnesota Vikings' offense "has been scaled down with quarterback J.J. McCarthy taking over." Howe also notes that there's "measured optimism" in league circles around McCarthy's future, but that a "seamless transition" should not be expected. The 22-year-old is taking over for the departed Sam Darnold under center in Minnesota after Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024. McCarthy has drawn favorable reviews for his play in training camp and the preseason, but there's always a level of unknown for a player who has not seen the field in an actual NFL game. McCarthy profiles as a high-end QB2 in redraft fantasy leagues.