Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Kirk Cousins

Saturday, November 22, 12:11 PM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford continues to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns ahead of Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His elite passing productivity has made up for his lack of rushing upside, allowing him to rank as the sixth-highest-scoring quarterback in fantasy football this season. He has a whopping 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions over his last seven games, and now, he takes on a Bucs defense allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. Stafford is playing the best football of his career and has kept himself in the running for the MVP award. He continues to look like a potential league-winner in fantasy football and remains firmly in the mix as a mid-to-high QB1 option in fantasy football as he takes on the Bucs. To be precise, Stafford ranks as the overall QB5 in this week's RotoBaller fantasy rankings and should be started in all leagues.

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.