Who Should I Start? Philip Rivers or Geno Smith

Wednesday, December 17, 11:39 AM

Making his first start since January 2021, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers managed to hold his own in Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks. The 44-year-old completed 18 of 27 pass attempts for 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, and nearly led his team to an upset victory on the road. The Colts announced that Rivers will make another start in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers, who are expected to be a more manageable matchup than Seattle. Fantasy expectations should remain limited for Rivers, as he provides zero value as a rusher and averaged just 4.4 yards per pass attempt against the Seahawks. However, Rivers may be more productive as he gains more time to work with the Colts' pass catchers and becomes more familiar with the team's offense. In deep, two-quarterback fantasy leagues, Rivers could be a streaming option off the waiver wire in Week 16.

Thursday, December 18, 6:31 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (shoulder, back) appears to be on his way to suiting up this Sunday on the road in Houston against the Texans in Week 16 after practicing in full for the second straight day this week on Thursday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Head coach Pete Carroll said earlier this week that there was "a good chance" that Smith would be active this weekend after he sat out last week's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a right-shoulder injury that he suffered in the Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. Kenny Pickett fell flat against his former team, but Smith hasn't been much better in his 13 starts in his first year with the Raiders, completing 67% of his passes for 2,648 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Against the top-rated Texans defense, the 35-year-old Smith should only be thrown into starting lineups if you're desperate in two-QB superflex leagues.