TuaTagovailoa

News: 14 hours agoTagovailoa's teammate, Michael Penix (knee), is in line to return to 11-on-11 drills in Monday's practice, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Spin: Penix had been participating in practice since training camp began but hadn't yet been cleared for contact or full-team work. However, coach Kevin Stefanski relayed Saturday that the QB has been given the green light to practice without restrictions. With one preseason game remaining, the Falcons have yet to settle on a starting quarterback, and Penix's looming return to team drills sets the stage for him to have an opportunity to compete with Tagovailoa on equal footing ahead of Week 1. It remains to be seen what the team's plans are for the two signal callers in Friday's exhibition finale against the Dolphins, and at this stage Stefanski hasn't outlined a timeline for when he'll make a call on his starter for Atlanta's Sept. 13 contest against the Steelers.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Tagovailoa signed with Atlanta during the offseason after spending his first six seasons in Miami. The 2020 first-round pick showed signs of life a few years ago, which included a 4,624-yard, 29-TD season in 2023, but his production and efficiency have declined since. The final straw was a rough 2025 in which he threw 15 INTs (second most in the league) in just 14 games and was benched. Tagovailoa is a nonfactor with his legs (fewer than 75 yards in four straight seasons, with zero TDs during the span) and has, in turn, never finished better than 10th in fantasy points per game (he was 33rd in 2025). Even if Tagovailoa starts in Week 1, he's unlikely to be anything more than a fringe QB2 in fantasy and figures to eventually lose work to Michael Penix Jr. (recovering from a torn ACL). Tagovailoa is way off the fantasy radar.