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

Friday, May 30, 10:54 PM

While the Cleveland Browns haven't made any announcements on their quarterback competition, The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that 18-year veteran Joe Flacco should be well ahead of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and he's also probably ahead of Kenny Pickett. Flacco throws the ball better than the others in a practice setting, and his overall experience makes him the clear favorite to win the job. It's possible that Pickett will outplay Flacco in the coming months, though. Flacco and Pickett alternated turns with the No. 1 offense in practice at OTAs on Wednesday, with Gabriel out-repping Sanders in the second OTA practice. Jackson thinks it's almost a certainty that the QB battle is between Flacco and Pickett. Although Flacco had a nice little run with Cleveland at the end of 2023, he'll be a low-end QB2 option in two-QB fantasy leagues if he wins the starting gig over Pickett this year.

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.