Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Michael Penix Jr.

Wednesday, February 4, 3:24 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique) remains on the injury report and was listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Darnold injured his left oblique in practice days before the team's Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, but he wasn't tagged on last week's final injury report and is fully expected to play this Sunday in Super Bowl LX versus the New England Patriots. The 28-year-old signal-caller only attempted 17 passes in the 41-6 blowout win over the Niners, but he went 25-for-36 for a season-high 346 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the NFC Championship win over the Los Angeles Rams. The former third overall pick by the New York Jets in 2018 out of USC will look to put the finishing touches on an incredible career resurgence.

Tuesday, February 3, 10:56 AM

Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan was non-committal on Tuesday to Michael Penix Jr. (knee) being the team's starting quarterback in 2026, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Penix suffered a torn left ACL last November and is currently recovering after having surgery. He is expected to be out anywhere from nine to 12 months. The 25-year-old completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine games in 2025 in his first full year as the starter, with the Falcons going 3-6 in his starts. Penix was the eighth overall pick out of Washington in 2024. New head coach Kevin Stefanski has been complimentary of Penix since taking the job, but his health and status as the starter will be a big question mark going into training camp and the start of the 2026 regular season this fall. Penix's fantasy stock is down, and his lengthy injury history -- he's torn his ACL three times -- is a big reason why.