Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Taylor Heinicke

Monday, October 21, 11:36 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 24-of-35 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown but turned the ball over three times in a 34-14 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. Two of the turnovers came via interception and the other was a fumble that turned into a scoop-and-score for the Seahawks. It was the fifth time in seven games that Cousins failed to record two or more touchdown passes and he now has seven picks in as many games. This was supposed to be a favorable matchup with a banged-up Seahawks secondary and Atlanta favored by three points, but instead, it was a lopsided affair that went in Seattle's favor. While it makes Cousins hard to trust as a weekly streaming option, the good news is that the 36-year-old gets the Buccaneers in Week 8, a team he threw for over 500 yards against with four TDs just a few weeks ago, so he'll get an opportunity to bounce back next week.

Wednesday, August 28, 8:22 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are acquiring quarterback Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. Not only is starting quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) recovering from plantar fasciitis in his foot, but backup Easton Stick regressed in training camp and the preseason. The 31-year-old Heinicke will be an upgrade at the QB position behind Herbert entering the regular season next week. In Atlanta, the Falcons were expected all along to try and trade Heinicke after taking rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in April. Heinicke made his NFL debut back in 2017 with the Houston Texans and has appeared in 38 games (29 starts) since then with four different teams. His best year came in 2021 with Washington, when he threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 picks on 321 pass attempts over 16 games (15 starts).