Who Should I Start? Kyler Murray vs. Tua Tagovailoa vs. Aaron Rodgers vs. Jared Goff vs. Caleb Williams vs. Trevor Lawrence

Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Kyler Murray is entering 2024 at full health and has been a polarizing option in fantasy leagues this season. Week 1 is no exception as he is a top trending start/sit candidate on our FantasySp "Who Do I Start?" tool.

We put him up against a number of comparable quarterbacks that you've been debating starting or sitting him for and let you know whether he should or shouldn't be in your lineup this week.

Who Do I Start?

Kyler Murray vs. Tua Tagovailoa 

Murray brings a rushing upside that Tua lacks. His ability to run is what makes him special as a fantasy option. That's not to say he can't sling it, but we wouldn't necessarily consider him a high-end fantasy option if you took his rushing upside away from him.

On the other hand, Tua is coming off a year in which he led the league in passing and has shown elite accuracy and big play ability through the air. Each has a very different skillset but a skillset that is desirable for a fantasy option. In a vacuum this comparison is extremely close. 

When you look at the matchups the edge has to go to Tua who takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars at home. The only hope the Jags have at slowing down the Miami Dolphins' offense is if their top pass rushers can cause a massive disruption and we don't see that happening with how quickly Tua gets the ball out. This game should be a track meet for the Dolphins on their home turf.

Murray's matchup is less appealing but not as tough as it would have been in recent years. The Cardinals will head on the road to take on the Buffalo Bills. However, the Bills defense has lost a lot of it's luster this season due to salary cap issues and while it's always a tough place to play, it's not nearly as tough in September before the weather gets cold. 

The real difference here are their weapons. Marvin Harrison Jr and Trey McBride are nothing to scoff at, but they simply aren't Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane. The Dolphins have the most explosive group of pass catchers in the league today and maybe ever. Combine that with a quarterback who displays elite accuracy and timing, and it's nearly impossible to stop. They have had their issues against elite defenses and in the cold but neither of those things will be a factor this week. 

Start: Tua 

Kyler Murray vs. Aaron Rodgers

People are excited to finally see what the New York Jets' offense looks like with Rodgers under center after only getting a four-play glimpse last season before he blew out his Achilles. There is no doubt they will look much better than they did with Zach Wilson under center or whatever other scrubs they had out there in 2023, but they will still fail to live up to expectations.

At the end of the day, he's a 40-year old quarterback coming off a major leg injury, and he wasn't all that great the last time we saw him in 2022. The offensive line will still be below average and his receivers are useless behind Garrett Wilson. To top it off he has a brutal matchup on the road against the reigning NFC champion 49ers. This shouldn't even be a tough decision for fantasy owners.

Start: Murray  

Kyler Murray vs. Jared Goff

Goff is an interesting case study. His career trajectory has been all over the place. However, he seems to have really found a home and perfect fit with the Detroit Lions. He is gets to play in a dome behind an elite offensive line, and is surrounded by incredible weapons.

While he may be viewed as more of a game-manager, he utilizes guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs to perfection. This week he matches up in the comfort of his dome where he has been outstanding and takes on the Los Angeles Rams. This game should be a shootout and there is no reason to believe that Goff won't perform at a high level. We view him as a solid QB1 this week as we probably will most weeks this year if you look at his very favorable schedule. 

Start: Goff

Kyler Murray vs. Caleb Williams

This was the toughest decision to make of all the trending start/sit questions for Murray. Williams is young and exciting with an incredible arsenal of weapons around him. The Chicago Bears should be much improved, and you can make a case their skill position players are right at the top of the league with anyone else. At any given time, Williams could have D'Andre Swift, D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet at his disposal.

The matchup at home against the Tennessee Titans should be a good one and give Williams an edge here as well. With that said, we would still like to see the product on the field first before starting a rookie over a proven fantasy asset like Murray. Williams should be great and more than likely will be great, and there are a lot of guys we would start him over this week - Murray just isn't one of them.

Start: Murray

Kyler Murray vs. Trevor Lawrence

The thought process here has to be that the Dolphins are going to score at will on the Jags defense so Lawrence is going to have to throw the ball downfield all game and try to win a shootout. Miami's defense is also pretty beat up to start the season and should be vulnerable as they wait to get key pieces back from injury down the road.

That all makes plenty of sense. Still, we just have a hard time trusting Lawrence. This passing attack has flashed but has never really been able to put it all together. They have new weapons this season like rookie Brian Thomas Jr. and former Bill Gabe Davis, but the jury is still out on that WR corps. We understand the process of considering T-Law, but we just can't there with him at this point. 

Start: Murray