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

Monday, December 15, 7:11 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest QBs in the league when it matters most for fantasy football managers. Lawrence took advantage of a great matchup against a bad New York Jets defense in Week 15 to go 20-for-32 passing for a season-high 330 yards and five passing touchdowns on Sunday. He added five carries for 51 yards on the ground and a sixth touchdown on the day. Since Week 12, Lawrence has thrown for 1,059 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions on 119 pass attempts while running for 121 yards and another TD on 17 attempts. In the last five weeks, he's been the QB6 in overall fantasy points as he finally starts to click in head coach Liam Coen's offense. The addition of receiver Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline has also helped Lawrence. The 26-year-old has become a popular waiver-wire pickup over this stretch. However, he could quickly come back down to Earth with a poor Week 16 matchup on the road in Denver against a strong Broncos defense.

Friday, December 19, 4:26 PM

In the midst of the best stretch of his young career, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy can be considered a high-potential QB2 option for managers in Superflex leagues as the Vikings look to continue their winning streak in Week 16 at the New York Giants. He'll see another good matchup against the 2-12 Giants, who rank 27th in scoring percentage and 30th in turnover percentage, but could see a patchwork Minnesota offensive line. The Vikings will be without left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) and could also be missing right tackle Brian O'Neill (heel), who is questionable. McCarthy, who has been limited to eight starts in two years due to injuries, looked significantly improved during the past two games, in which he completed 66% of passes, accounted for six touchdowns, committed only one turnover, and finished among the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks both times. McCarthy is still raw and prone to volatility, but the past two weeks vindicated managers who kept the faith, giving them a quality option with a favorable matchup deep in the fantasy playoffs.