Who Should I Start? Gardner Minshew or Michael Penix Jr.

Friday, June 6, 3:50 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) has been throwing during voluntary organized team activities. Minshew broke his collarbone in 2024 while with the Las Vegas Raiders and was limited to 10 games (nine starts), in which he threw for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his only year in the desert. Now that he's recovered from the injury, the 29-year-old signal-caller is expected to open the 2025 season as the backup to starter Patrick Mahomes, with Bailey Zappe likely being named the third-stringer. Minshew was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts, but he'll be off the fantasy radar completely in his seventh season in the NFL as long as Mahomes stays healthy.

Tuesday, July 22, 6:31 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who was taken eighth overall in the 2024 NFL draft, enters training camp this summer as the team's unquestioned starter under center after starting the final three games of last season after Kirk Cousins was benched. While the 25-year-old southpaw signal-caller has plenty to work on heading into his first full season as the starter, the Falcons offense did average 32 points a game in his three starts to close out 2024. Nobody should be drafting Penix this fall as a QB1 in fantasy, but he is one of the more intriguing young QBs in the NFL and could eventually join the ranks of QB1s if he can stay healthy. If that is going to happen, the Washington alum is going to need to be more accurate on the short and intermediate throws. Penix has plenty of weapons and is not a bad QB2 in superflex leagues, but his lack of rushing will cap his fantasy ceiling.