Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes or J.J. McCarthy

Wednesday, April 23, 3:09 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit the NFL by storm early in his career with his deep-passing skills and explosive plays. However, the Chiefs' offense ranked 27th in 20-plus-yard plays in 2024. Since Tyreek Hill departed to Miami and Travis Kelce has taken a step back, its offense has not connected on splash plays as often. Heading into next season, Mahomes is aiming to incorporate big plays back into the offense. "We've had a lot of turnover in the receiving room, and it seems like the core group will be back in its entirety." Mahomes said." So the goal is to try to build on it and get even better and try to get back to some of the explosive passing plays that we've done in years past." With all-world speedster Xavier Worthy heading into Year 2 and a potential full season of Marquise Brown, the ceiling is high for Kansas City's passing attack in 2025. Mahomes has not been a fantasy football game-changer over the last two seasons, but a more dangerous offensive attack could put him back in the high-end QB1 range.

Tuesday, April 29, 3:17 PM

There have been questions surrounding whether or not Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) was prepared to start in 2025, but the 2024 first-round pick out of Michigan has no doubts, saying, "I know I'm ready to start." The 22-year-old missed his entire rookie campaign after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee, setting veteran Sam Darnold up as the clear starter all season. The Vikings traded for former Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell during the 2025 NFL Draft, but the team has not invested in other notable quarterbacks this offseason. That said, McCarthy is the clear favorite to earn the starting nod. While McCarthy will likely see growing pains in his first year, a supporting cast consisting of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones should give him a chance to succeed. That said, he might not be on the fantasy radar in single-QB formats this season.