Who Should I Start? Justin Fields or Cameron Ward

Saturday, August 30, 10:24 PM

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract during the offseason. The signal-caller has had his share of ups and downs throughout his career thus far. However, Jets general manager Darren Mougey appears to have confidence in the 2021 No. 11 overall pick. "I do believe Justin can be one of those guys," said Mougey during a recent interview. "I've seen progress during this camp and look forward to seeing the progress throughout the season as they all come together." Fields spent his first three seasons with the Chicago Bears before suiting up for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. In 50 regular-season contests, he's thrown for 7,780 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 31 picks while completing only 61.1% of his attempts. Although his accuracy hasn't been the best, he's at least made up for it by finding the end zone 19 times on the run. With that said, Fields should be considered a starting fantasy option in two-QB formats. On the other hand, he has a way to go before earning a routine spot in 12-team fantasy lineups, especially since it may take him time to get acclimated to his new squad.

Saturday, August 30, 1:05 PM

The Athletic's Jeff Howe writes that the Tennessee Titans "have been thrilled" with rookie first-round quarterback Cameron Ward's work ethic early on. Ward has showed up around 5 am every day during training camp to start his workout and is frequently bringing other players with him. That leadership is an important quality, although it doesn't mean that Ward isn't going to be a stud right away in his first NFL season. The 23-year-old is going to start right away for the Titans after they took him first overall in April's draft. Fantasy managers should expect a steep learning curve in an offense with Calvin Ridley as the WR1 and not much else behind him. Ward has "come as advertised," but the ups and downs he showed in the preseason are likely to continue into a very difficult Week 1 matchup on the road against a Denver Broncos defense that should be one of the best in the league again in 2025.