Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Cameron Ward

Sunday, August 24, 1:17 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith looked sharp in Sunday's preseason finale, leading the first-team offense on a 60-yard scoring drive in his lone series. The veteran capped the drive with a 17-yard strike to rookie wideout Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the end zone. Smith has shown poise throughout camp, and with Chip Kelly's up-tempo offense beginning to click, expectations are rising in Las Vegas. While Smith enters the year projected as a fantasy QB2, his efficiency and potential volume in a suddenly explosive system could make him a sneaky value pick in deeper formats.

Saturday, August 30, 1:05 PM

The Athletic's Jeff Howe writes that the Tennessee Titans "have been thrilled" with rookie first-round quarterback Cameron Ward's work ethic early on. Ward has showed up around 5 am every day during training camp to start his workout and is frequently bringing other players with him. That leadership is an important quality, although it doesn't mean that Ward isn't going to be a stud right away in his first NFL season. The 23-year-old is going to start right away for the Titans after they took him first overall in April's draft. Fantasy managers should expect a steep learning curve in an offense with Calvin Ridley as the WR1 and not much else behind him. Ward has "come as advertised," but the ups and downs he showed in the preseason are likely to continue into a very difficult Week 1 matchup on the road against a Denver Broncos defense that should be one of the best in the league again in 2025.