Who Should I Start? Kenny Pickett or J.J. McCarthy

Thursday, September 4, 9:39 AM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) logged a full practice on Wednesday and is cleared to suit up in Week 1 when the Raiders face the New England Patriots. Pickett began the offseason with the Cleveland Browns but was traded to the Raiders in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The former first-round pick has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but appears to have moved past it. Fantasy managers should expect Pickett to operate as the backup option to Geno Smith. Currently, Aidan O'Connell (wrist) is on the injured reserve, which means Pickett will likely be given all of those opportunities under center if Smith were to miss time. Last season, Pickett spent time as Jalen Hurts' backup in Philadelphia but was deployed as a starter across his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. He is only worth a look in deeper superflex leagues if he were to take over the starting job.

Sunday, December 7, 4:51 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career as the Vikings throttled Washington 31-0 on Sunday. The second-year quarterback finished the day by completing 16 of 23 passing attempts for 163 yards, added 19 rushing yards on six carries, and, crucially, did not commit a turnover. Even against one of the NFL's bottom-tier defenses, McCarthy's performance was a sigh of relief following weeks of persistent struggles. McCarthy led scoring drives of 61 and 98 yards on the Vikings' first two possessions, and the Minnesota defense pitched a shutout to let the offense lean on the running game thereafter. The Vikings are effectively out of the playoff picture, but will use the rest of the season to take a long look at McCarthy, whose career-best 129.2 passer rating on Sunday was a strong first step in the right direction. He'll see another plus fantasy matchup against a leaky Dallas pass defense in Week 15.