Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes or Tyler Shough

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.

Thursday, May 29, 2:57 PM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who is firmly in the battle for the QB1 job, had an "encouraging performance" during Thursday's OTA practice. "Shough showed it today," Saints reporter Nick Underhill wrote. "Hit two bombs for TDs, real nice layered throw going to the sideline and had an incomplete pass on the move that barely missed but athleticism flashed." The 25-year-old is likely the favorite to be the Week 1 starter in Kellen Moore's new offense after the sudden retirement of Derek Carr (shoulder), so the positive report is promising. Shough was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after tossing for 7,820 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions in 42 collegiate games with Oregon, Texas Tech, and Louisville. He also scored 11 career rushing touchdowns. Shough is no stranger to learning a new system on the fly, so he could exceed relatively low expectations in Year 1.