Who Should I Start? Michael Penix Jr. or Jayden Daniels


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.3 3.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Michael Penix Jr. News

Michael Penix Jr. Might Not be Close to a Return

Wednesday, July 29, 7:51 AM

Although Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) said that he's "feeling really good," he said that doctors told him a week ago that he probably had another four weeks in his rehab from a torn left ACL suffered last year, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That timetable would track to Aug. 25 being the ninth month removed from knee surgery. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday that Penix wouldn't take part in 11-on-11 drills at the start of training camp, and with Tua Tagovailoa also dealing with a tight back, the Falcons' QB battle is off to a bad start. With both QBs injured, the Falcons signed veteran Cooper Rush as insurance on Wednesday. The Falcons are optimistic that Penix will be ready in time for preseason games, but the more time he misses, the likelihood of him winning the starting job going into Week 1 diminishes. Penix's fantasy stock in both redraft and dynasty/keeper leagues continues to fall by the day, even though he technically still isn't being ruled out for the QB1 job.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
24.5 40.6 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0

Jayden Daniels News

Jayden Daniels Primed for a Major Bounceback

Monday, July 27, 5:25 AM

Washington Commanders veterans report to training camp on Tuesday, and a player looking to put a forgettable 2025 season behind him is quarterback Jayden Daniels. Fighting through injuries, both his own and to his supporting cast, Daniels was limited to only 1,540 combined rushing and passing yards and 10 total touchdowns in his seven games played. By contrast, he threw 12 touchdowns to Terry McLaurin alone during a historical rookie campaign, and with both coming into camp healthy after reportedly working together throughout the offseason, expectations are high that they can recapture some of that magic from 2024. Increased under-center usage in David Blough's system could lead to more big plays in 2026, giving Daniels one of fantasy's highest potential ceilings to go with the rock-solid floor provided by his elite scrambling ability. As RotoBaller's QB3, drafters would do well to treat his disappointing 2025 campaign as more of an outlier than a sign of things to come.


Michael Penix Jr. vs. Jayden Daniels

Still trying to decide between Penix Jr. and Daniels? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Michael Penix Jr. is projected to score 8.3 points this week while Jayden Daniels is projected to score 24.5 points.