Who Should I Start? Trey Lance or Desmond Ridder

Friday, March 1, 12:19 AM

The Dallas Cowboys will pick up quarterback Trey Lance's $4.25 million roster bonus for the 2024 season, but they also elected not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2025. The Cowboys acquired Lance from the San Francisco 49ers during training camp last summer, but the former first-rounder didn't play as a single snap in his first year with the Cowboys behind starter Dak Prescott, who had a career year. The 23-year-old will now return as Prescott's backup next season, but he'll likely be on the free-agent market next offseason since the Cowboys understandably didn't want anything to do with his $22.4 million fifth-year option for 2025. Unless Prescott misses extensive time with an injury in 2024, Lance won't be worth rostering in fantasy.

Thursday, March 14, 1:30 PM

The Arizona Cardinals are acquiring former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder from the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, according to a source. Ridder squandered his chance as the full-time starter for the Falcons in 2023 by throwing for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 games (13 starts), eventually being benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke. The former third-round pick out of Cincinnati has also lost nine fumbles in 19 games (17 starts) in his two NFL seasons. Atlanta's signing of Kirk Cousins made Ridder expendable, and he'll now make for a solid backup option in Arizona for starter Kyler Murray. The 24-year-old obviously won't be on the fantasy radar in single-year leagues in 2024 now that he's firmly entrenched in a backup role.