Who Should I Start? Drake Maye or Bo Nix

Thursday, January 15, 5:00 PM

In his first career playoff appearance, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye led his team to a 16-3 win in the Wild Card round over the Los Angeles Chargers. The 23-year-old completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 268 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while adding 66 rushing yards on 10 attempts. However, Maye also fumbled twice, one of which was recovered by the Chargers. Maye's production upside remains sky-high, but any potential ball security issues may only be exacerbated in the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. Houston allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards (3,486) in the regular season while ranking tied for third in interceptions (19). The Texans' defense is also coming off a dominating performance in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which it forced two turnovers, recorded four sacks, and allowed just six points. Maye's rushing ability could carry him to success, but the difficult matchup makes him a low-end quarterback option for fantasy managers in the Divisional Round.

Saturday, January 17, 9:23 PM

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) suffered a broken bone in his ankle during Saturday's Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, according to head coach Sean Payton. Nix has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. This is shocking news out of Denver, as Nix's injury wasn't immediately evident during the Broncos' overtime win. Payton said that the second-year quarterback suffered the injury on the second-to-last play of the game, finishing the contest with a 56.5% completion rate, 279 passing yards, 29 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. This is a crushing loss for the Broncos, who can credit Nix as one of the main reasons why they finished with the best record in the AFC and advanced to the conference title game. His absence will force the Broncos to start Jarrett Stidham next Sunday against either the Patriots or Texans. Stidham's last NFL pass attempt came in 2023, when he threw for 272 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a loss to the Raiders. The short-term implications of Nix's broken bone are massive. From a long-term perspective, though, he should make a full recovery in time for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.