Who Should I Start? Tyler Shough or Tanner McKee

Thursday, May 29, 2:57 PM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who is firmly in the battle for the QB1 job, had an "encouraging performance" during Thursday's OTA practice. "Shough showed it today," Saints reporter Nick Underhill wrote. "Hit two bombs for TDs, real nice layered throw going to the sideline and had an incomplete pass on the move that barely missed but athleticism flashed." The 25-year-old is likely the favorite to be the Week 1 starter in Kellen Moore's new offense after the sudden retirement of Derek Carr (shoulder), so the positive report is promising. Shough was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after tossing for 7,820 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions in 42 collegiate games with Oregon, Texas Tech, and Louisville. He also scored 11 career rushing touchdowns. Shough is no stranger to learning a new system on the fly, so he could exceed relatively low expectations in Year 1.

Wednesday, May 21, 2:46 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee is likely to be the direct backup to Jalen Hurts in 2025 despite the team drafting Kyle McCord (Syracuse) in the sixth round of last month's NFL Draft. The team's decision to trade Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns signals confidence in McKee, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Stanford. McKee appeared in two games (one start) last year, completing 30 of his 45 passing attempts for 323 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. While he's not on the fantasy football radar as a backup, it's worth noting that Hurts missed Weeks 16 and 17 in 2022 due to injury before sitting out Week 17 again in 2024. We've seen his backups, such as Gardner Minshew and Pickett, deliver fantasy-relevant performances in his absence, so McKee could be one of the top backup QBs to monitor in deeper superflex or two-QB formats.