Who Should I Start? Michael Penix Jr. or Shedeur Sanders

Sunday, January 5, 5:07 PM

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 21-for-38 with 312 yards, two passing scores and an interception during their overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers. Penix added five yards and score on his lone carry. After averaging just 212.5 passing yards during the first two games of his career, Penix enjoyed a strong finish to the 2024 campaign, despite falling just short to the Panthers. The Washington product leaned on his top wideout Drake London as he threw to him 18 times. London also brought in both his touchdown passes and finished the day with 187 receiving yards. The 24-year-old has tallied four total touchdowns over his first three NFL games but sits with a 1-2 record, with both of his losses coming in overtime. Fantasy managers should expect Penix to be in the driver's seat to open as the team's starting QB in 2025.

Monday, May 19, 4:23 PM

The Cleveland Browns have signed rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to a four-year contract worth $4.6 million. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the news. Much has been made about the Colorado product's epic draft-day slide, and now it's up to him to prove the league wrong. Whether he's an NFL-caliber quarterback remains to be seen, but he's undoubtedly motivated to start his climb up Cleveland's quarterback depth chart. Accuracy is Sanders' superpower, but he needs to play more within the confines of his game, particularly given his average athleticism. The good news is that the competition to head the Browns' offense is mostly wide open. Veteran Joe Flacco stands to get the first crack at the starting job unless Kenny Pickett can beat him out in training camp. From there, it's Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) unlikely to play in 2025.