Who Should I Start? Trey Lance or Desmond Ridder

Thursday, July 31, 11:40 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance made a strong statement in the Hall of Fame Game, completing 13-of-20 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for eight yards on three carries in Thursday's 34-7 victory over the Lions. Lance, who only started one game with Dallas last season, showed poise and good technique throughout the night, capitalizing on multiple Detroit turnovers. His first touchdown came on the Chargers' first drive, a perfect five-yard pass to Will Dissly. The 25-year-old added his second score just before halftime with a 15-yard slant to Keandre Lambert-Smith. While the performance was encouraging, Lance faced a Lions' backup defense and is still listed third on the depth chart behind Justin Herbert and Taylor Heinicke. Fantasy managers should be cautious not to overreact to the performance until further preseason games are played, but a strong start nonetheless from the former first-round pick of the 2021 draft.

Sunday, July 20, 1:53 PM

Former Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Desmond Ridder is signing an undisclosed deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Ridder will bring some experience to the Bengals' QB room behind starter Joe Burrow. The 25-year-old Ridder will join backups Jake Browning and Logan Woodside. He was originally a third-rounder by Atlanta in 2022 out of Cincinnati. Ridder made 17 starts in Atlanta in his first two years in the NFL before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2024. He then appeared in six games with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024 before joining the Bengals this summer. In three NFL seasons, Ridder has completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 25 games (18 starts). He will not be a lock to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.