Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Caleb Williams

Saturday, November 22, 4:44 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins will make his second start of the season on the road in Week 12 against the Saints, with the team losing Michael Penix Jr. (knee) to injury for the rest of the year. The 37-year-old started the team's Week 8 contest against the Dolphins, but unsurprisingly looked rusty, completing 21 of 31 passes for 173 yards and no scores (and zero interceptions). Expectations should not be high for managers considering the veteran as a streaming option, as he lost his job to Penix last year and was unable to wrest it back to begin 2025. Also, the Saints have been solid on defense, limiting opposing quarterbacks to the 17th-most fantasy points in the league, and they get the benefit of this game being played in New Orleans. With a low implied point total for Atlanta in this one (19), there isn't expected to be a lot of scoring, and if there is, it could come from the one-two punch of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the ground, especially given that top wide receiver Drake London (knee) will be out. As such, Cousins projects as a low-end QB2 in this matchup.

Sunday, November 23, 7:00 PM

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams gave fantasy managers a show during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was mostly good for Williams, but he did have some bad moments as well. The worst of the day was when Williams fumbled in the end zone which led to a Steelers touchdown. Outside of that, Williams was mostly solid as he completed 19-of-35 passing attempts for 239 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He didn't throw any interceptions and his lone turnover was that fumble in the first half. There have been some bad games, but fantasy managers have mostly been able to trust Williams on a weekly basis. He'll head into a tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles next week. Fantasy managers should trust him as a QB2 for that one.