Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Justin Herbert

Wednesday, May 28, 11:59 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph opened OTAs with the first-team offense on Tuesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. This news isn't much of a surprise, but it does confirm head coach Mike Tomlin's vision as full-team practices get underway this summer. Presumably, the starting quarterback job is Rudolph's to lose, barring an external quarterback addition such as Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. Rudolph's internal competition comes from Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard. Thompson has completed just 58.7 percent of his career passes with one touchdown, three interceptions, and two fumbles. He primarily served as a backup over three seasons in Miami. Meanwhile, Howard is a rookie who impressed at Ohio State, but he has suboptimal draft capital as a sixth-round pick. On the other hand, Rudolph has shown flashes of potential during his time with the Steelers (2018-2023) and Titans (2024). In Tennessee last year, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

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.