Who Should I Start? Tyler Shough or Rome Odunze

Saturday, July 19, 1:30 PM

The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Tyler Shough reached an agreement on Saturday on a four-year, fully-guaranteed rookie deal worth $10,795,000, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Shough, who was taken 40th overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, is the last player that was taken this year to secure a fully-guaranteed deal. Although Shough will have competition from Spencer Rattler for the starting QB job in his rookie season, he figures to be the favorite to start under center in Week 1 this fall after Derek Carr's abrupt retirement this offseason. The 25-year-old spent seven years in college, so he has plenty of experience, and he threw for 3,195 yards and 23 yards in 2024 at Louisville. He has good size and arm strength, but his downfield accuracy is a concern. There won't be much fantasy upside here early on if he wins the starting gig. Think low-end QB2 as a game manager more than anything.

Tuesday, July 29, 7:52 PM

Chicago Bears second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze has been the recipient of some of the offense's best plays so far in training camp, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic writes, and his skill set will give new head coach Ben Johnson flexibility because of the way Odunze can win one-on-one matchups. "To me, he fits that prototypical 'X' receiver where you can line him up outside the numbers and, provided he gets a one-on-one with a corner, he's going to win most of his matchups, slant routes, stop routes, go routes, the whole route tree outside the numbers," Johnson said. The new head coach continues to praise the 23-year-old, which is why the Bears coaching staff is expecting a big Year 2 leap from Odunze. There will be stiff target competition in Chicago's offense, but with Keenan Allen now gone, Odunze should definitely have lots more upside as a WR3/flex in 2025.