Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Brian Hoyer

Monday, December 15, 2:59 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (shoulder, back) has a chance to return to practice this week and play in the team's Week 16 game against the Texans, according to head coach Pete Carroll. Smith was unable to practice in any capacity leading up to the Raiders' Week 15 contest with the Eagles and was officially ruled out on Saturday, leaving Kenny Pickett to make his first start for Las Vegas. Pickett was unable to throw for even 65 yards in the shutout loss to the Eagles, rendering all Raiders players unusable for fantasy. Carroll noted that the team will know more about Smith's status on Wednesday. Whether or not he's able to suit up carries major fantasy implications for managers who were able to slip into the semifinals with Brock Bowers or Ashton Jeanty and are now wondering if they'll need to make the difficult decision to leave them on the bench.

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.