TuaTagovailoa

News: 3 hours agoTagovailoa will start Friday's preseason opener against Denver, but coach Kevin Stefanski isn't ready to name his Week 1 starter, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Spin: Stefanski said Wednesday that the starters will stay in Friday's game for about 10 snaps or one series. For now, Tagovailoa is the starter by default with Michael Penix (knee) not yet cleared for contact or full-team drills. Stefanski is leaving the door open for Penix to earn the starting job, but that seems more likely to happen in-season than ahead of Week 1.

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.