Outlook: I remember viewing Trevor Lawrence as a fantasy target as early as his sophomore year at Clemson. The hype surrounding him as the next "It" quarterback was overwhelming, and I bought into it. Fast forward six years and we see a QB who has fallen woefully short of expectations. But I hear the excuses already in 2025 for when - not if - Lawrence continues his slightly-above-average career trajectory: "Let's be patient with Trevor Lawrence. He's learning a new system with a new rookie head coach." Blah, blah, blah.

I would encourage you to temper whatever expectations you may have about a Lawrence breakout campaign. He is a middle-of-the-road fantasy quarterback - nothing more, nothing less. The biggest evidence of that is comparing his standout performances to Brock Purdy's. Purdy has 40 career games under his belt, and he's thrown more than 2 TDs in nine of those games. Lawrence has played in 60 games but has only six such games. Remember, that's a comparison between a player drafted first overall and a player drafted dead last.

Bottom line: Lawrence has been an overhyped, underperforming QB in fantasy and real life. Proceed with extreme caution going into this year's fantasy draft season.

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Outlook: McCarthy, the 2nd-year signal caller from Michigan, gets the job to himself this season as the Vikings unquestioned starter. Missing his rookie year due to a meniscus tear in the preseason, McCarthy watched Sam Darnold have a career year in this offense, and now gets his own chance to give Minnesota a shot at the title. Fitted with a Super Bowl roster of superstars and game breakers, McCarthy needs to play within the offense and use his athleticism and big arm to keep defenses honest. While he got plenty of "mental reps" last year, it's the decision making that's going to make or break this season. While he won a ton at Michigan, he was never asked to carry the load, or operate a complex passing offense. He's got all the physical gifts and intangibles you could ask for, but what gives him fantasy relevance are his coach, and passing game weapons. Like Darold last year, there is a world where McCarthy is efficient, and does enough with his legs to come into fantasy relevance at some point in the year. With 25+ touchdown potential, and elite receivers, McCarthy is one of my favorite upside QB2s.

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