Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Gardner Minshew

Thursday, December 11, 11:57 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 30 of his 44 pass attempts for 373 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Thursday's Week 15 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also took one sack and recovered his own fumble. Cousins led five scoring drives on Thursday, including the game-winner with less than two minutes left to play. The veteran quarterback shook off the old narrative that he's incapable of thriving in the primetime slot, and in doing so, he kicked off his candidacy for the top-scoring fantasy quarterback in Week 15. It's unlikely that many managers started Cousins in the first week of the fantasy playoffs, but his big game could be enough to justify deploying him as a fringe top-12 fantasy option heading into a favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals next week.

Tuesday, December 16, 2:01 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew is in line to start the rest of the season after Patrick Mahomes (knee) suffered a torn ACL in the Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Minshew completed three of five passes for 22 yards and a game-ending interception in relief of Mahomes in the fourth quarter. The 29-year-old has been serviceable in the past as a starter, with his best season coming in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts. He completed 62.3% of his passes for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 13 starts. Minshew most recently started for the Las Vegas Raiders last season, where he wasn't quite as effective in a worse offensive environment, throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) over nine starts. Minshew doesn't profile as a fantasy option in standard formats, but he has appeal in superflex leagues for a favorable Week 16 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.