Who Should I Start? Lamar Jackson or Michael Penix Jr.

Friday, January 23, 3:46 PM

To this point in his career, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has spent all eight of his NFL seasons playing for head coach John Harbaugh. However, that is set to change in 2026. Baltimore parted ways with Harbaugh at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, and the team recently announced the hiring of former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. With 2025 Ravens play-caller Todd Monken likely to follow Harbaugh to his new gig as the head coach of the New York Giants, Jackson appears likely to be working with his fourth different offensive coordinator since the start of his time with Baltimore. After back-to-back first-team All-Pro selections in 2023 and 2024, Jackson battled through injuries in a relative down year in 2025. Even still, the 29-year-old averaged over eight yards per pass attempt while rushing for 349 yards and two scores. Jackson may be rejuvenated by a change of leadership in Baltimore, and he remains a high-end quarterback option for fantasy managers heading into 2026.

Friday, February 6, 7:48 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) said on the Up & Adams Show on Friday that his recovery from knee surgery is a "little bit" ahead of schedule. Penix suffered a torn left ACL in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, but he's hoping he'll be ready to roll for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this fall. The 25-year-old has already recovered from two ACL tears in his right knee in college, so he's pretty familiar with the rehab process. He's been attacking his rehab diligently since having surgery on Nov. 25, but there's no guarantee that Penix will be ready for Week 1, making him an extremely volatile QB2 target in fantasy football drafts this fall. Before his knee injury, the former eighth overall pick out of Washington was extremely inconsistent in nine starts in his first year as the full-time starter, completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine TDs, and three picks.