Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Mason Taylor

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.

Saturday, November 22, 10:59 AM

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor isn't a favorable fantasy start for his outing against an improved Baltimore Ravens' defense. The LSU product had a three-game stretch earlier in the season in which he racked up an 18/150 line across 25 targets, although he's only commanded more than four once in the five games since. Furthermore, he's yet to top 34 yards in any of them, and has done so just twice in ten games. The change to Tyrod Taylor could breathe a breath of fresh air into a stagnant Jets' offense, but Baltimore has been stingy of late, and unkind to tight ends on the season as a whole - yielding the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position (11.7). The rookie is still a nice long-term bet and a strong dynasty stash. However, his outlook in redraft leagues isn't as rosy. Taylor ranks as RotoBaller's PPR TE21 ahead of his outing with Baltimore.