Sleepers at Quarterback
Jordan Love, Green Bay (vs Washington) **Thursday**
Love was excellent against the Lions in the first half, and then the Packers didn't need him to pass much in the second half as they nursed a big lead. That might not be the case on Thursday night against Jayden Daniels. If it is, then it's time to consider the Packers' defense in the elite tier going forward.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville (at Cincinnati)
Lawrence and the Jaguars' passing game were choppy, but it didn't matter because the Panthers couldn't stop Travis Etienne Jr., and Bryce Young couldn't move the ball against the Jaguars' defense. The Bengals' defense was great against the Browns' running game (mind you, with Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford leading the way), but couldn't get off the field because of Joe Flacco's passing. Joe Burrow should put enough points up to force the Jaguars' pass offense to open up a bit, and the Bengals' defense can make Lawrence and the passing game much more productive this week.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas (vs LA Chargers) **Monitor Bowers' Status**
It's not exactly a trenchant insight to recommend a quarterback the week after he threw for 362 yards. Still, Smith was an afterthought in fantasy drafts, and he might still be underrated going into a Monday night showdown with Justin Herbert. The Chiefs barely tried to run on the Chargers, instead putting the offense in Patrick Mahomes II's hands. Smith isn't quite on Mahomes' level, but the Raiders did try to establish the run with Ashton Jeanty against the Patriots, and they also ended up putting the offense in Smith's hands. So we should expect Smith to fill the air with footballs again this week. We'll be monitoring practice reports to be sure that his #1 weapon, Brock Bowers, is cleared to play.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta (at Minnesota)
Penix has a tough matchup this week against the Vikings, but there are a few reasons to have optimism about him in fantasy leagues. Darnell Mooney and Drake London are practicing, so they are on track to play despite missing some or all of last week. Penix seems to have good chemistry in the short passing game with Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts Sr., which can counteract the Vikings' blitz-happy ways. The quarterback was also using his legs more last week, including a score on a scramble. Caleb Williams had a solid fantasy performance against the Vikings' defense, despite his play being mediocre. Penix should be better than Williams at reading the field and decisively delivering the ball. We'll see if it results in an even better fantasy output.