Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or Drake Maye

Thursday, July 24, 5:55 PM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes that Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey's chemistry with quarterback Justin Herbert continues to blossom in Year 2 and described it as a "seemingly telepathic connection." McConkey knows when to sit down on routes against certain defensive looks, when to manipulate defensive leverages and when to expect the ball from Herbert on either shoulder. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said this week that McConkey "is uncoverable right now by one guy." For the 23-year-old Georgia product to really thrive, he needs one of Quentin Johnston or rookies Tre Harris and Keandre Lambert-Smith to threaten defenses deep down the field. McConkey was a stud in his first year in the NFL, catching 82 of his 112 targets for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns. Despite being in a run-first offense, he's a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy.

Sunday, July 27, 11:22 AM

New England Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye notably shared that one of his top goals in 2025 is to potentially not run as much as he did in his rookie season, when he rushed for 421 yards on 54 carries for 7.8 yards per tote, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Remaining a passer longer when I scramble, I think that's big," Maye said. "I feel like I had times last year where I had some guys deep that I may have missed them or took off running instead." It's not exactly what fantasy managers want to hear. The 22-year-old didn't have a lot to work with in the passing game in his first year in the NFL. The Patriots have given him more weapons this year, mainly with WR1 Stefon Diggs, which could make up for fewer runs from the second-year signal-caller. Fantasy managers should target Maye as a midrange QB2 this year.