Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Gardner Minshew

Friday, May 10, 3:58 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (Achilles) is working his way back from a Week 8 Achilles tear from last season, and reports out of Atlanta suggest he is making great progress. "Kirk is every day improving," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "He's been doing all those things, he's been throwing, he's been out there pretty much full-go. Now, we got him in a limited basis, obviously 'cause he's still in his rehab and his treatment and all those types of things." The 35-year-old signal-caller has not been dropping back behind an offensive line or facing a rush, but he's evidently looked good on his dropbacks and reps with his new wide receiver group. Despite Atlanta selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Cousins remains the clear starter in 2024 as long as he holds up. The four-time Pro Bowler has thrown for at least 4,000 yards seven times in his nine-year career as a starter, while the Falcons have not had a 4,000-yard passer since Matt Ryan in 2020. If Cousins isn't limited by his major injury, he'll remain a fringe QB1 option surrounded by Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney, and company.

Monday, April 29, 10:52 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders didn't take a quarterback in this year's NFL draft, which means QBs Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell are set to compete for the starting job in training camp this summer. The Raiders were rumored to be angling to trade up in the first round of the draft for a franchise signal-caller, but instead they stayed put and took Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with their first-round selection. O'Connell held his own in 2023 when he was thrust into the starting role because of Jimmy Garoppolo's injuries and inconsistency, but Minshew should still be considered the favorite this fall given his experience. The 27-year-old Minshew would be a solid midrange QB2 in fantasy if he wins the starting job after making his first career Pro Bowl in 2023 with the Colts. He threw for a career-high 3,305 yards, 15 TDs and nine interceptions in 17 games (13 starts).