Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or J.J. McCarthy
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.2 | 5.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Kirk Cousins News
Sunday, September 13, 3:48 PM
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 21 of 30 passes for 160 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in his first start for the team, which ended in a 27-13 victory against the visiting Miami Dolphins. The 38-year-old signal-caller got the Silver and Black off to a 7-0 lead on a short pass to Jack Bech with 1:44 left in the first quarter, and the Raiders remained ahead on the scoreboard for the duration of the game. Cousins was missing top target Brock Bowers (knee) on Sunday and didn't have much success connecting with Las Vegas' receiving corps outside of Bech, opting to connect with running back Ashton Jeanty for two short passes for touchdowns. The four-time Pro Bowl selection showed he has value in deep fantasy leagues, but he doesn't produce enough to be an effective starter in shallow redraft formats.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
J.J. McCarthy News
Wednesday, September 9, 10:51 AM
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is the backup to starter Kyler Murray and that J.J. McCarthy is the third-stringer to open the 2026 season, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. It will be a week-to-week evaluation. "This gives us the best chance to win," O'Connell said. The writing was on the wall for the 23-year-old former first-rounder from Michigan when the Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason in free agency. McCarthy lost out in the training camp QB battle to Murray, and after struggling in the preseason and getting banged up, he will enter his third year in the NFL as the team's QB3. In his first full season as the Vikings' starter in 2025, McCarthy only played in 10 games due to various injuries and struggled with his accuracy, completing 140 of his 243 pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy's best path back to fantasy relevance in dynasty/keeper leagues might be a trade out of Minnesota at this point.
Kirk Cousins vs. J.J. McCarthy
Still trying to decide between Cousins and McCarthy? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Kirk Cousins is projected to score 21.2 points this week while J.J. McCarthy is projected to score 0.0 points.
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