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

Tuesday, October 21, 11:59 AM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing at an extremely high level so far in 2025. Across seven games, the 37-year-old has completed 66.1% of his pass attempts for 1,866 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Stafford's average of 7.7 yards per pass attempt is his best since the 2021 season, when he finished the year with 4,886 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. The Rams have their bye in Week 8, so fantasy managers won't be able to deploy Stafford this week. Still, given how he has played this season, fantasy managers may be wise to stash Stafford through the bye, even in single-quarterback formats. For fantasy managers looking to beat the waiver wire in shallow leagues where Stafford might not already be rostered, the Rams have a favorable matchup in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints.

Wednesday, October 22, 3:41 PM

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (foot) is still day-to-day and will be limited in practice on Wednesday, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Penix suffered a bone bruise in his foot in the Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, putting his availability for a Week 8 tilt against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday somewhat in question. The 25-year-old second-year QB's injury doesn't sound too serious, but it's enough to keep him out of a full practice in the first session of the week. Morris is optimistic about Penix playing this weekend, but fantasy managers will want to monitor the left-hander's status the rest of the week. If he can practice in full on Thursday or Friday, he should be just fine to play against Miami, where he'll have clear QB1 upside against the Dolphins' weak defense. If Penix cannot go, veteran Kirk Cousins would see his first action of the year and would immediately be on the streaming radar in fantasy leagues.