Who Should I Start? Michael Penix Jr. or Anthony Richardson Sr.

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.

Thursday, December 18, 4:32 PM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (eye) returned to practice on a limited capacity on Thursday. The 23-year-old has been on Injured Reserve since Week 6, when he suffered an orbital fracture during pregame warmups. Richardson Sr. started the season as the backup quarterback in Indianapolis behind Daniel Jones (Achilles), who went down in Week 14 with a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. The Colts have since turned to 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers, who will make his second start in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers. However, if Rivers struggles and/or Richardson Sr. can regain full health, Richardson Sr. could conceivably reclaim starting duties in Indianapolis. While the former number four overall pick has struggled as a passer throughout his career, his rushing ability gives him fantasy upside. Across 17 career NFL games (15 starts), Richardson Sr. has rushed for 634 yards and 10 touchdowns.