Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Jimmy Garoppolo

Thursday, November 13, 6:50 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (quadriceps) is not included on the Week 11 injury report as the team gets ready to face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, according to the team's website. Smith was in some pain last Thursday night against the Denver Broncos when he suffered a bruised quadriceps, and he was even replaced in the game for a bit by Kenny Pickett. The 35-year-old eventually returned to finish the 10-7 loss, but he was hobbling around pretty good. The extra time off heading into Week 11 appears to have done the veteran QB some good, and he should be fine to play against Dallas on Monday after practicing in full on Wednesday. Smith has mostly been a liability for fantasy managers in his first year in Vegas, but he'll have some QB2 streaming appeal this week against a bad Cowboys secondary.

Saturday, September 6, 9:56 PM

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay views quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as a "starting-caliber" option. Matthew Stafford is in line to start on Sunday versus the Houston Texans. However, with the veteran signal-caller battling a lingering back injury, the Rams are confident Garoppolo can fill in admirably if necessary. From a fantasy standpoint, Stafford has had a better career. Still, with concerns about his health, Garoppolo may get a chance to start at some point moving ahead. The 33-year-old played for the Patriots, 49ers, and Raiders before arriving in Los Angeles in 2024 to suit up for the Rams. In 82 regular-season contests, he's thrown for 15,828 yards, 96 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions off 67.4% passing while also leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019. All things considered, Garoppolo doesn't have much fantasy value at the moment. If Stafford goes down this season due to the nagging back issue, Garoppolo could prove useful for those participating in deeper SuperFlex formats, especially with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at his disposal.