Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Desmond Ridder

Friday, June 21, 2:33 PM

Seattle Seahawks new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said the offense won't be as pass-happy as his offense was with the University of Washington, and he also plans to use fewer pre-snap motions and shifts, but Grubb wants to put a lot of responsibility on quarterback Geno Smith. The 33-year-old veteran signal-caller has welcomed more responsibility, but the results have so far been mixed in offseason workouts. Head coach Mike Macdonald has been impressed with Smith's plan, and the offense will have an extra opportunity to test itself during the preseason in joint practices with the Tennessee Titans. Smith had a career year in 2022 and was the QB5 in fantasy, but he predictably fell to QB15 in 2023. Nobody is saying Smith is a QB1 in fantasy, but a bounce-back is entirely plausible in what could be a more dynamic offense. Target him as a low-end QB2 in superflex formats.

Thursday, March 14, 1:30 PM

The Arizona Cardinals are acquiring former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder from the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, according to a source. Ridder squandered his chance as the full-time starter for the Falcons in 2023 by throwing for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 games (13 starts), eventually being benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke. The former third-round pick out of Cincinnati has also lost nine fumbles in 19 games (17 starts) in his two NFL seasons. Atlanta's signing of Kirk Cousins made Ridder expendable, and he'll now make for a solid backup option in Arizona for starter Kyler Murray. The 24-year-old obviously won't be on the fantasy radar in single-year leagues in 2024 now that he's firmly entrenched in a backup role.