Who Should I Start? Joe Burrow or Tua Tagovailoa

Wednesday, September 20, 11:37 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (calf) has apparently been feeling better the last few days after reaggravating his strained calf in Sunday's Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, per Mike Garafolo. The Bengals play on Monday night so they won't begin practicing until Thursday so the extra day of rest should help Burrow, Garafolo noted. While it's encouraging to hear that he's feeling better, this calf issue is likely to linger throughout the season. To make matters worse, NFL insider Ian Rapoport noted that "we are not going to get a 100% healthy Joe Burrow, probably for some time" while speaking on Good Morning Football on Wednesday morning. This could just come down to pain tolerance for the fourth-year quarterback. However, even if he's able to tough it out and play through the pain, he's not nearly as effective as a passer with a bum calf. The Bengals will release their practice report on Thursday but fantasy managers that roster Burrow would be wise to have a backup plan in case Cincinnati decides to rest their franchise QB in favor of backup Jake Browning on MNF against the Los Angeles Rams.

Monday, September 18, 9:04 AM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa came back down to Earth against the Patriots after a red-hot Week 1. The Alabama product finished the game with 249 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while completing 21 of his 30 throws. He also added three yards on four carries. The Patriots defense did a good job of neutralizing the deep ball so Tagovailoa and company had to find a way to find without their biggest weapon. On top of that, Jaylen Waddle (concussion) left the game in the later minutes, but Tagovailoa did just enough to get the job done. Fantasy-wise, he didn't help managers too much as he's the QB25 before the Monday night games kickoff. He should bounce back a bit in Week 3 against a Broncos defense that just gave up 35 points and nearly 400 yards to the Commanders.