Who Should I Start? Trevor Lawrence or J.J. McCarthy

Wednesday, March 18, 6:06 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off a very strong 2025 season, and that trend should continue into 2026. Plenty of the credit belongs to Lawrence himself, who took off for a career-high 359 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. The threat of his legs forced defenses to adjust their game plan and perhaps play a little more conservatively in pass coverage. However, the Jags' receiving corps also deserves plenty of praise. What started as an already encouraging duo of Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter blossomed into an exciting trio of Thomas, Jakobi Meyers, and Parker Washington (with Hunter landing on injured reserve). These four receivers complemented each other nicely and picked up the slack when one was underperforming, which was helpful given that Thomas specifically had a down year. The Jags' receivers (plus tight end Brenton Strange) led to a career-high 29 passing touchdowns from Lawrence. This same pass-catching group will be back in 2026, and Hunter should be fully healthy, even if he plays fewer snaps on offense and more on defense. Not only can Lawrence repeat his strong season, but he could push for 30-plus passing touchdowns for the first time in his career. He remains firmly entrenched as a mid-range QB1 in redraft and dynasty leagues.