Who Should I Start? Jordan Love or Kenny Pickett

Saturday, August 23, 6:37 PM

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (thumb) says he'll be ready to go for the Week 1 opener versus the Detroit Lions on September 7. The signal-caller recently underwent surgery on his non-throwing thumb. He returned to practice on Monday, albeit in a limited capacity. Fortunately, it's been good news for Love since his return from the minor surgery. He took a step back in 2024, tossing for 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions off 268-for-425 passing (63.1%). Love also found the end zone once on the ground. The 26-year-old has plenty of weapons at his disposal on the offensive side of the ball. However, Love will need to stay healthy. The Packers also have one of the more challenging schedules in the National Football League, which is another thing going against him. With that said, fantasy managers should wait for the official update from the team regarding his availability for Week 1.

Monday, August 25, 8:18 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) from the Cleveland Browns on Monday in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Geno Smith is the Raiders' unquestioned starter heading into the 2025 regular season in two weeks, but Pickett will now give the team plenty of backup experience after Aidan O'Connell (wrist) went down with a fractured right wrist that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. Pickett himself has dealt with a hamstring injury that he suffered late in July that kept him out of all three of the Browns' preseason games, but he has a chance to be available for Week 1 for the Raiders against the New England Patriots. Back in Cleveland, this trade means that one of rookie signal-callers Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders will be the QB2 behind Joe Flacco to begin the year.