Who Should I Start? Rashid Shaheed or J.J. McCarthy

Thursday, February 19, 5:38 AM

Seattle Seahawks impending free-agent wide receiver/return man Rashid Shaheed told NFL Network's Judy Battista and Bridget Condon on Wednesday that he "would love" to return to the Seahawks. Seattle acquired Shaheed at last year's trade deadline, and the 27-year-old was an underrated piece of the Seahawks' Super Bowl-champion squad. He provided an additional deep threat for quarterback Sam Darnold while also returning three kicks for scores on special teams, including one in the Divisional Round blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers. He was more of a threat for fantasy managers with the New Orleans Saints before the trade, though, as he caught only 15 of 26 targets for 188 yards and no touchdowns in nine regular-season games in Seattle. Shaheed was averaging career bests in catches per game (4.9) and receiving yards per game (55.4) before the trade. Wherever he lands in free agency this offseason, Shaheed will most likely be a boom/bust WR4/flex for fantasy.

Tuesday, February 24, 11:51 AM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said on Tuesday that he still views quarterback J.J. McCarthy as a franchise signal-caller, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN. "A lot of those feelings are still the same. It's just the timeline is in a different place for all of us than it was [in 2024]," McConnell said. The Vikings drafted the 23-year-old with the 10th overall pick in 2024 out of Michigan with the intentions of him being the team's long-term QB, but it hasn't gone as planned in his first two years in the NFL. McCarthy missed all of his rookie campaign due to a knee injury that required surgery, and he was extremely inconsistent in his first 10 starts in 2025 while missing time with various injuries. He completed 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Decision-making and accuracy were a big issue, but durability is the primary concern for Minnesota and fantasy managers who have him rostered in dynasty/keeper leagues. There's still time for McCarthy to develop under O'Connell, one of the best QB gurus in the league, but the Vikes may bring in some competition to push him this offseason.