Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Michael Penix Jr.

Sunday, January 11, 9:39 AM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (finger) underwent additional testing after Saturday's Wild Card win over the Carolina Panthers, but his X-rays came back negative, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Additionally, medical personnel confirmed that Stafford did not suffer a dislocated finger. Stafford played through the injury and finished the game with 304 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Given that Stafford essentially had his finger bent further than normal and didn't suffer any fracture or dislocation, he should be good to play next weekend against the Chicago Bears or the Seattle Seahawks. Even if he's limited in practice this week, bettors and DFS players shouldn't worry about his availability or effectiveness for the playofs.

Wednesday, November 26, 1:06 PM

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said on Wednesday that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) had successful surgery on his knee on Tuesday, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Penix had full reconstructive surgery to fix a partially torn ACL in his left knee, which will keep him out for the rest of this season and possibly for the start of the 2026 season next fall. The 25-year-old second-year signal-caller is facing a nine-month recovery, which will force Atlanta to rethink its long-term plan at the QB position this offseason. This is Penix's third ACL reconstruction in his career after he had two knee surgeries in college. Kirk Cousins will start the rest of the year under center for the Falcons, but depending on how he finishes the season, the Falcons could opt out of the final two seasons of his four-year deal.