Who Should I Start? Justin Fields or J.J. McCarthy

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.

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.