Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Michael Penix Jr.

Friday, August 15, 3:19 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco has officially been ruled out for the team's second preseason contest on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers, according to Browns beat writer Noah Monroe. Flacco and Tyler Huntley are the team's only healthy QBs at the moment, with rookies Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) and Shedeur Sanders (oblique) and Kenny Pickett (hamstring) nursing injuries. Deshaun Watson (Achilles) is on the PUP list and isn't expected to play all year. The 40-year-old Flacco is healthy, and the Browns want to keep it that way, especially since he's fully expected to be named the Week 1 starter in time. Gabriel might make the start on Saturday, but either way, Huntley should play the majority of the game against Carolina. Flacco will have limited weapons in his second stint in Cleveland and is a low-end QB2, at best, in superflex fantasy leagues.

Tuesday, August 12, 10:08 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will not play in the team's second preseason game on Friday, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins is also unlikely to play, although it has not been completely ruled out by the team. Neither Penix Jr. nor Cousins played in Atlanta's first preseason game against the Detroit Lions last Friday, leaving Easton Stick and Emory Jones to handle signal-calling duties. Penix Jr. has a long injury history dating back to his time in college, so it makes sense why the team would want to be cautious with him in the preseason despite his limited NFL experience as a starter (three games).