Who Should I Start? Lamar Jackson or J.J. McCarthy

Sunday, October 12, 10:05 AM

The Baltimore Ravens hope that quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) can return following next week's bye, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The injury is reportedly not long-term, and Jackson has been in the team's facilities rehabbing. While a Week 8 return has certainly not been confirmed, the team views that as a reasonable target as the star quarterback continues to make progress with his recovery. In the meantime, Cooper Rush will make one more start in Week 6. Baltimore's offense has looked very underwhelming under Rush, so getting Jackson back would be good news all around. He's a fantasy QB1 whenever he's healthy.

Monday, October 13, 2:47 PM

With the Vikings preparing to play the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, head coach Kevin O'Connell has no plans to name his starting quarterback just yet. J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and Carson Wentz (shoulder) will both practice this week after carrying injuries into the bye week, and O'Connell plans to assess what he sees before making a decision. The team started the year 1-1 under McCarthy before he was sidelined by an ankle injury sustained late in a Week 2 loss to the Falcons. They've since gone 2-1 with Wentz, with both Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson benefiting from the improved passing volume over that time. McCarthy was the 10th overall pick of the 2024 Draft, so the expectation is that he will again be named the starter as soon as he is healthy, but with Wentz proving capable as his backup, the leash might be shorter than once thought coming into the year.