Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Kirk Cousins

Saturday, November 15, 12:23 PM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (shoulder) didn't practice on Wednesday and Friday (limited on Thursday) due to a nagging right shoulder injury. Fortunately, it won't be enough to keep him off the field for the Week 11 AFC North clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco spent over a decade with the Baltimore Ravens, so he's quite familiar with Sunday's opponent. However, despite numerous encounters with the Steelers over the years, Flacco's most recent showing against the team back in Week 7 was arguably his best, with the signal-caller throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns off 31-for-47 passing. He has played at an elevated level since first suiting up for the Bengals, so expectations remain high. With that said, Flacco is surrounded by a quality supporting cast, at least on the offensive side of the ball, giving him plenty of credibility as a starting fantasy option in any format for Sunday's anticipated high-scoring affair.

Monday, November 17, 6:18 PM

When asked if the offense will look different with quarterback Kirk Cousins taking over as the starter, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said, "It's fair to say it'll look different." Michael Penix Jr. (knee) aggravated a bone bruise and knee sprain and also suffered ligament damage to the ACL in his left knee in Sunday's overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, and the 25-year-old second-year signal-caller potentially will miss the rest of the year. He will at least miss the next four games after being put on Injured Reserve on Monday. We'd expect the Falcons to lean more on running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier now that Cousins is starting again. The 37-year-old completed only 61.5% of his passes for 250 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions in three games (one start) this year. The four-time Pro Bowl may get into more of a groove after he gets settled in, but fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect him to see much passing volume.