Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Spencer Rattler

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.

Monday, September 15, 12:47 AM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 207 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 2 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. He also took three sacks and rushed for 14 yards. While Rattler finished with relatively modest passing yardage, his three touchdowns kept the Saints in the game against San Francisco and also resulted in a very solid fantasy performance. It's evident that New Orleans will be playing from behind in plenty of games this year, but Rattler is still able to play clean football and keep New Orleans competitive for a full 60 minutes. These two factors, along with his clearly demonstrated ability to throw for touchdowns, makes him a very intriguing waiver wire option. Fantasy managers dealing with injuries or underwhelming production at the quarterback position should feel inclined to place a claim or bid on Rattler, especially ahead of his Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who have allowed 421 passing yards and four total touchdowns to quarterbacks over the last two weeks combined.