Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Jaxson Dart

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.

Wednesday, December 17, 11:29 AM

In a clip from HBO's "Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East," Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is seen emphasizing the importance of hitting New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart when Dart takes off as a runner. Based on the clip, Giants beat writer Dan Duggan of The Athletic speculates that Dart "clearly has a target on his back as a runner." The rookie quarterback has been highly effective with his legs so far this season, recording 400 rushing yards and seven touchdowns across 11 games (nine starts). However, he also missed two games due to a concussion and has drawn criticism for his tendency to absorb unnecessary contact. If the 2-12 Giants pull back the reins on Dart as a rusher, his fantasy production would clearly be impacted. While Dart has shown little indication of being hesitant to run so far this season, it's a storyline worth monitoring as the team prepares to take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16.