Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Michael Penix Jr.

Saturday, October 4, 5:42 AM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has endured a rough start to the 2025 campaign, throwing a league-high seven interceptions in just four games. Despite flashes from the Raiders' rushing attack, including Ashton Jeanty's breakout performance last week, Smith continues to force throws into tight coverage, resulting in costly turnovers. Head Coach Pete Carroll has maintained confidence in his veteran signal-caller, but with Kenny Pickett waiting on the bench, the leash may not be endless if the mistakes persist. A tough Week 5 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts looms, and fantasy managers should approach Smith with extreme caution. At this point, he should only be considered in superflex or very deep 16-plus team formats, as his turnover issues make him a risky play in standard leagues.

Tuesday, September 30, 12:21 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got back on track in Sunday's 34-27 win over the Commanders, completing 20 of his 26 passes for 313 yards and two scores. He did throw one interception as well and was sacked once. The former first-rounder's 90.5 QBR for the game was a solid increase from the 71.3 rating he had going into the contest, and there was a marked improvement in the second-year quarterback's average yards per pass attempt, going from 6.1 in Weeks 1-3 to 12.0 in Week 4 (the highest of any QB). While it was a great bounce-back performance after two down weeks, the 25-year-old draws Buffalo in Week 5 after the team comes out of their bye, and the Bills have limited opposing passers to 125.8 yards per game thus far, which is the fewest yards passing per game in the entire NFL, so fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere for streaming options the next time Penix takes the field.