Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith

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.

Friday, December 12, 5:47 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (shoulder, back) was unable to practice all week and has officially been ruled out for the Week 15 contest this Sunday in Philadelphia against the Eagles, according to the team's website. Kenny Pickett will draw his first start with the Raiders against his old team in potentially snowy conditions, making him a desperation QB2 option for fantasy managers in superflex leagues. Smith injured his right throwing shoulder in last week's loss to the Denver Broncos, although it's not considered a serious injury, and he could make it back next week against the Houston Texans. However, if Pickett plays well this weekend, the Raiders could bench the struggling Smith for the final three games of the year. The 35-year-old Smith hasn't had much help from his offensive line, but he's been one of the worst starting QBs in the NFL this year, completing 67% of his passes for 2,648 yards, 16 touchdowns, and a league-high 14 interceptions while taking a league-high 49 sacks.