Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Kirk Cousins

Wednesday, January 14, 6:36 PM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (finger) was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, according to Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News. Stafford sprained his right index finger in the Wild-Card win over the Carolina Panthers last Saturday, but the Rams were never concerned about his availability for the Divisional Round this Sunday versus the Chicago Bears. In the win over the Panthers, Stafford went 24-for-42 passing for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The 37-year-old veteran is the favorite to win the NFL MVP this year after throwing for a league-high 4,707 yards, a league-high 46 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions in 17 regular-season games. His finger injury shouldn't be an issue this weekend in Chicago against a Bears defense that allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to QBs. Stafford is the top QB on the board in fantasy this week.

Tuesday, January 6, 12:56 PM

The Atlanta Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed to tweak the final two years of the QB's contract on Tuesday, setting the stage for a decision on his future to be made by the third day of the new league year on March 13, a source told ESPN's Field Yates. Cousins now has a guarantee for $67.9 million for the 2027 season that will vest on March 13. The restructure also includes reducing Cousins' 2026 base salary from a non-guaranteed $35 million to just $2.1 million. Atlanta's front office is in flux following the firing of general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday, but the Falcons could still move on from Cousins before March 13 as a post-June 1 release. A release of that kind would split the dead money on Cousins' contract over 2026 and 2027, as opposed to the team taking on the full amount in 2026. The 37-year-old played in 10 games this season, including starting the final seven following Michael Penix Jr.'s season-ending knee injury. Cousins was serviceable, throwing 10 TDs and five interceptions, but he probably isn't in the team's long-term plans at the position.