Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Brian Hoyer

Thursday, December 18, 6:31 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (shoulder, back) appears to be on his way to suiting up this Sunday on the road in Houston against the Texans in Week 16 after practicing in full for the second straight day this week on Thursday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Head coach Pete Carroll said earlier this week that there was "a good chance" that Smith would be active this weekend after he sat out last week's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a right-shoulder injury that he suffered in the Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. Kenny Pickett fell flat against his former team, but Smith hasn't been much better in his 13 starts in his first year with the Raiders, completing 67% of his passes for 2,648 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Against the top-rated Texans defense, the 35-year-old Smith should only be thrown into starting lineups if you're desperate in two-QB superflex leagues.

Friday, March 8, 8:37 PM

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders parted ways with quarterback Brian Hoyer. The journeyman signal-caller has bounced around the league over the year. He's appeared in 79 regular season games, tossing for 10,899 yards and 53 touchdowns (37 picks) off 59.3% passing. He hasn't done much in the last few seasons, and he finished the 2023-24 campaign by throwing for just 231 yards, along with two picks. At any rate, there could be a market for Hoyer, who has established himself as a quality backup during his career. But even if the 38-year-old finds a new team, that doesn't mean he'll draw attention from managers in fantasy drafts heading into the new season.