Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Jameis Winston

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, 5:24 PM

New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston completed 18 of his 36 pass attempts for 366 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's Week 12 win over the Detroit Lions. He also got involved in some trickery, adding a third touchdown on a 33-yard reception that was thrown to him by wide receiver Gunner Olszewski. Winston's turnover and low completion rate were unfortunate, but his high yardage and three total touchdowns made him a valuable fantasy option once again. Unfortunately for fantasy managers who were relying on him as a streamer, Winston will head back to the bench in Week 13 if Jaxson Dart (concussion) clears concussion protocol, as expected. The offense belongs to Dart once again, but at least we've seen that Winston can be a fringe top-12 fantasy quarterback if he ever gets thrust back into the starting role.