Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Dillon Gabriel

Wednesday, December 17, 4:06 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said on Sirius XM NFL Radio on Wednesday that there's "a good chance" that quarterback Geno Smith (shoulder, back) returns to start this Sunday against the Houston Texans in Week 16, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Smith suffered a right-shoulder injury in the Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos and did not play in Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Backup Kenny Pickett couldn't lead the Raiders to any points, and thus the 35-year-old Smith will get his starting gig back this weekend in an extremely difficult matchup on the road against the Texans, who have the best defense in the NFL. It's good news for the Raiders' offensive skill players, but for fantasy football, Smith will be a low-end QB2, at best, in superflex leagues in Week 16 if he returns. Smith has led one of the worst offenses in the league in 2025 in his first year in Vegas, throwing for 2,648 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in his 13 starts. UPDATE: Smith returned to Wednesday's practice.

Monday, November 24, 9:30 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel will serve as the backup option for the upcoming Week 13 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Gabriel sat out of Sunday's game versus the Las Vegas Raiders due to a concussion. On Monday, Gabriel cleared concussion protocol, but was named the backup for at least one game. Shedeur Sanders played well in his absence and will draw at least one more start for the Browns. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said he won't name a starter past this week, so Gabriel could take over again if Sanders struggles.