Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Lamar Jackson

Thursday, July 10, 1:51 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said in an episode of the Netflix series "Quarterback" that he felt "a little bit misled" when the Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. It came just after Atlanta signed Cousins to a contract worth at least $100 million guaranteed to be their starter in 2024 and beyond. "I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high," Cousins said. The 36-year-old led the team to a 6-3 start before injuring his right shoulder. After that, the Falcons lost four straight games, with Cousins throwing eight interceptions and no touchdowns in that stretch. He was eventually benched in Week 16 for Penix, who heads into 2025 as the unquestioned starter, with Cousins backing him up. Cousins could get traded during training camp, but for now he's useless in fantasy as a backup.

Thursday, July 17, 7:17 PM

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finished the 2024 season with career-highs in passing yards (4,172), completions (316) and touchdown passes (41) while throwing only four interceptions on 474 attempts. He added 915 yards on the ground and passed Michael Vick for all-time rushing yards by a QB. Jackson is scary good as a passer and a runner, which is why he'll be one of the first QBs taken in fantasy drafts in the early rounds. BaltimoreRavens.com's Clifton Brown writes that Jackson is set up for even more success in 2025 going into his third season with Todd Monken running the offense. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history with 40 passing TDs and 20 rushing TDs in the same year in 2024. They were also the first team to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000. There's the potential for Jackson to take his game to yet another level.