Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Mac Jones

Friday, August 22, 10:43 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph completed six of his eight pass attempts for 36 scoreless yards and an interception in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. Rudolph took the field for the team's first three offensive possessions and could not get much of anything going. The Steelers punted twice in the first quarter before Rudolph opened the second period with an ill-advised throw to Ke'Shawn Williams that Carolina picked off. Rudolph's brief showing was quickly outshined by teammate Skylar Thompson, who led Pittsburgh on three straight scoring drives. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old Rudolph should be expected to maintain QB2 duties heading into the regular season as the most experienced backup on the roster, especially if rookie Will Howard (finger) is placed on IR.

Friday, October 3, 12:42 AM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones completed 33 of his 49 pass attempts for 342 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Thursday's win over the Los Angeles Rams. Jones made his third start of the season, getting the nod in place of Brock Purdy (toe). The former first-round pick has consistently impressed under center for San Francisco, amassing 905 passing yards, six touchdowns, and one interception through three games. It will be a shame to see his talent and fantasy production get sent back to the bench when Purdy returns, but at least the 49ers know they have an extremely capable backup who can dominate in a spot start. After all, he took down a division rival during overtime on national television Thursday. If Purdy misses Week 6 against the Buccaneers, Jones will rank as a high-end fantasy QB2. However, that game is 10 days away, leaving plenty of time for Purdy to get healthy.