MichaelPenix Jr.

News: 5 days agoPenix completed 27 of 42 passes for 298 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions and rushed six times for 21 yards and another score in the Falcons' 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. He also committed a fumble recovered by Atlanta.

Spin: Penix opened his first full season as a starter in fine fashion, looking poised and in command against a veteran, aggressive Buccaneers defense for most of the afternoon. The southpaw signal-caller leveraged Bijan Robinson's elite yards-after-catch skills on the opening drive, hitting his star running back for a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Penix would go on to cap off an 18-play, 91-yard marathon drive in the fourth quarter with a four-yard touchdown run, and he then drove the Falcons a total of 60 yards in eight plays to put them in position for a would-be game-tying field goal that Younghoe Koo couldn't convert. Penix also lost Drake London to a shoulder injury for that final drive, and it remains to be seen if he'll have his top target available for a Week 2 road showdown with the Vikings next Sunday night.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Penix is entering his second NFL season and his first as Atlanta's starter. The 2024 No. 8 pick played only three full games as a rookie, with mixed results. He threw for 200-plus yards and one INT in all three, totaling three passing TDs during the stretch. Though he did produce one rushing TD, he was (as expected) a nonfactor with his legs, totaling 11 yards on seven carries. Penix will benefit from a very good supporting cast led by Drake London and Bijan Robinson, but he'll be working in an offense that was third-run-heaviest in the league last season and he's unlikely to add much (if any) value with his legs. Penix should be viewed as no more than a late-round lottery ticket.