Who Should I Start? Mac Jones or Michael Penix Jr.

Friday, December 20, 9:38 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones is a better-than-usual fantasy option in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Jones had a good outing last week against the New York Jets, giving him a good fantasy outing in two of the last three weeks. However, it is still hard to trust Jones beyond two QB/Superflex leagues given his overall body of work. The Raiders do serve as a plus matchup, but the Jaguars offense has struggled for the most part this season. Despite all of the injuries to the Jacksonville receiving core, Brian Thomas Jr. has been dominant as a rookie, and Brenton Strange caught 11 passes in the place of Evan Engram, giving him good enough options to succeed at least. It is hard to trust Jones in an important fantasy playoff matchup, but there are worse options in Week 16.

Friday, December 20, 10:05 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will make his first career start in Week 16 against the New York Giants. The Falcons are heavy favorites in this one, but that is likely more a product of their one-two punch in the backfield of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier rather than a vote of confidence in the young signal-caller's arm. Not that Penix hasn't been on the big stage before or lacks upside; he led the Washington Huskies to the National Championship game this past January, ultimately losing to Michigan, with Atlanta subsequently taking him with the eighth overall selection in the 2024 Draft, so he's got the talent. But, while the Giants have allowed the third-highest completion percentage and have recorded a league-low two interceptions on the season, they've tallied the seventh-most sacks on the year, so Penix could be under pressure despite some things working in his favor. Hopefully the 24-year-old's receivers have quickly got accustomed to a left-hander throwing a football as well, which could make things a little more challenging than usual on Sunday. Whether it does or not, fantasy managers vying for championships who are also looking for a streaming option should look elsewhere as the former first-rounder projects as a risky, low-end QB2 in Week 16.