Who Should I Start? Trevor Lawrence or Michael Penix Jr.

Wednesday, November 11, 7:39 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is having another very impressive season, and his tremendous passing performances could help lead his team to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The 27-year-old seems to have corrected last year's biggest flaw, which was turnovers. Through eight games in 2026, he has just four interceptions and one lost fumble; he's on pace for 11 turnovers, whereas last year he finished with 15. He is also on pace for 38 passing touchdowns, which would shatter his previous career-high mark of 29. The only area where Lawrence has really regressed this season is running the football. Last year, he had 359 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. So far this season, he's at just 79 rushing yards and zero rushing scores. While the scaled-back rushing workload has certainly impacted his fantasy ceiling, you could also argue that the Jaguars are asking him to run less so that he's exposed to fewer hits and can stay healthy for a full 17-game season. He's still giving fantasy managers QB1 value with his impressive passing numbers, and that pattern should continue as he heads into the second half of the season with a strong supporting cast headlined by Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers. Lawrence also plays in a softer AFC South, with the bottom-feeding Titans and Colts, plus a Texans team whose defense has drastically underperformed. Lawrence is a must-start fantasy quarterback, and he's rising in fantasy football ahead of a softer stretch of games against the Titans, Giants, and Titans again.