Who Should I Start? Tyler Shough or J.J. McCarthy

Wednesday, January 7, 12:14 PM

When asked if Tyler Shough is the team's starting quarterback going forward in 2026, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore said, "Yeah, we feel great about Tyler." Shough continued to get better in his first NFL season and went 23-for-35 passing for 259 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, adding 34 rushing yards and another score on the ground. The 26-year-old second-rounder out of Louisville completed 67.6% of his 327 pass attempts in 11 games played (nine starts) for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Shough added 45 carries for another 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns. At the very least, Shough cemented himself as New Orleans' starting QB going into the 2026 season, and he should profile as a solid QB2 in superflex leagues and a nice backup with upside in single-QB formats.

Tuesday, January 13, 2:54 PM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he wants a competitive situation at quarterback going into next season, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. O'Connell said McCarthy "is going to be a major emphasis," but "the competition in that room will only enhance the entire team." The Vikings want McCarthy to seize the starting job, but he's going to have to earn it and play better than he did in 2026, and the Vikings are fully expected to add to their QB room to push McCarthy this offseason. The 22-year-old former first-round signal-caller missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to a knee injury that required surgery. McCarthy missed time with multiple injuries in 2025 and struggled with turnovers and efficiency when he was on the field, completing 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts. Fantasy managers will want to see improvement from the Michigan product before considering him as anything more than a low-end QB2 option with upside.