Who Should I Start? Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy

Saturday, December 6, 12:19 PM

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that "it wouldn't surprise a lot of league executives if the Cardinals decide to move on" from quarterback Kyler Murray (foot) after the 2025 season. Murray has not played since Week 5 due to a foot injury, and reportedly will not return this season. The 28-year-old struggled across five starts, completing 68.3% of his pass attempts for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He has roughly $37 million in fully guaranteed money remaining on his current contract, but Russini reports that the Cardinals could "try to trade him or simply release him." In the midst of a disastrous 2025 season, it appears Arizona is looking to hit the reset button heading into 2026. There will almost certainly be interest from quarterback-needy teams in Murray in the offseason, but his contract could be a complicating factor in trade negotiations.

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.