Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes or Bryce Young

Thursday, February 12, 1:27 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) is no longer a top-tier fantasy option, primarily due to injury uncertainty. Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in Week 15, and it's currently unclear whether he'll be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season. He's still one of the most talented players in NFL history, but without a clear timeline, fantasy managers shouldn't expect to rely on him as their starting quarterback in Week 1. We also can't ignore the fact that his fantasy production has gone backward. He went from the overall QB1 in 2022 to QB8 in 2023, QB11 in 2024, and QB11 in his shortened 2025 campaign. He has thrown at least 11 interceptions in each of his last five seasons, and he's been held to 27 or fewer touchdowns every year since 2022, when he threw for 41. Josh Allen has taken over as the consensus QB1 in fantasy football, but players like Lamar Jackson, Drake Maye, and Joe Burrow have also become more appealing to managers than Mahomes. Of course, that could change if the Chiefs add a superstar receiver this offseason, and it also wouldn't hurt if tight end Travis Kelce bounces back following a down year.

Friday, February 13, 4:01 PM

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young may never fully live up to his prospect pedigree as the number one overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, the 24-year-old made definite strides in his third NFL season in 2025 and led Carolina to its first playoff berth since 2017. Across 16 games, Young completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while also adding 216 yards and two scores as a rusher. While Young averaged a middling 6.3 yards per pass attempt for the season as a whole, that number improved to a much more respectable 7.2 yards per attempt over his final seven games played of the regular season. While the Panthers are reportedly not expected to push to sign Young to an extension this offseason, the team is likely to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract after his successful 2025 campaign. As such, Young should have a bit more runway in Carolina to continue to develop and establish himself as the organization's long-term answer under center. Young is far from a high-end fantasy quarterback, but his stock in dynasty formats is moderately improved following his 2025 output.