Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Michael Penix Jr.

Tuesday, January 6, 9:35 PM

Across 16 games played in 2025, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 65.7% of his pass attempts for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Rodgers delivered a bit of a vintage performance in Week 18 to help power Pittsburgh into the playoffs, completing 31 of 47 pass attempts for 294 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. Entering Wild Card Weekend, Rodgers will get some much-needed pass-catching help in the form of wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who missed the final two games of the regular season due to a suspension. However, Rodgers will face one of the league's best defenses in the Houston Texans in the first round of the AFC playoffs. In the regular season, Houston ranked seventh among NFL defenses in both passing yards (3,486) and passing touchdowns (20) allowed. Rodgers has played some of his best football of the season in recent weeks, but fantasy managers in playoff leagues may want to be cautious given his matchup against Houston.

Wednesday, November 26, 1:06 PM

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said on Wednesday that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) had successful surgery on his knee on Tuesday, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Penix had full reconstructive surgery to fix a partially torn ACL in his left knee, which will keep him out for the rest of this season and possibly for the start of the 2026 season next fall. The 25-year-old second-year signal-caller is facing a nine-month recovery, which will force Atlanta to rethink its long-term plan at the QB position this offseason. This is Penix's third ACL reconstruction in his career after he had two knee surgeries in college. Kirk Cousins will start the rest of the year under center for the Falcons, but depending on how he finishes the season, the Falcons could opt out of the final two seasons of his four-year deal.