Michael Penix Jr. makes his first start since tearing his ACL last November when the Falcons visit Lambeau Field tonight, and his return single-handedly resets the fantasy stakes for a Falcons-Packers matchup that looked unwatchable a week ago. Atlanta is 0-2 and coming off a 34-3 blowout loss in Carolina in which the Cooper Rush and Jack Strand tandem at quarterback combined for five turnovers. Green Bay survived New York in overtime, 20-17, after trailing 17-7 in the fourth quarter, but the Packers show up banged up in ways that matter more for lineups than their record does.
Penix Jr. Changes the Math for London and Pitts
Penix was a full practice participant all week and carries no game-status designation, the clearest signal yet that Atlanta is done managing his workload. Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. have been muted through two games catching passes from Rush and Strand, and both get a real fantasy bump with a healthy, mobile passer back under center. Even a modest version of the quarterback who has thrown for real volume in his career makes London a confident start in most formats and turns Pitts back into a streamable tight end after a quiet start to the season.
The Packers Backfield Is Not What Preseason Rankings Said
Josh Jacobs has not taken a snap all season. He was placed on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List on August 30 following a May arrest that initially produced five charges, later reduced by the Brown County District Attorney to misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Only the commissioner can activate him, and Green Bay has treated his absence as more than a one-week problem: the team traded a 2028 sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh for running back Kaleb Johnson, who played zero snaps in Week 1 and then led the Packers in rushing in Week 2 with eight carries for 32 yards. Johnson is now working in a committee with MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, and none of the three has separated from the pack. Anyone still rostering Jacobs in a season-long league should stop waiting on him, and anyone chasing the Packers backfield for fantasy purposes should expect the touches to stay muddy for at least another week.
Green Bay’s Offensive Line Is a Real Problem
The backfield uncertainty is compounded by trouble up front. Tackle Zach Bako-Bewele suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear in Week 2 and had surgery this week, and guard Aaron Banks is questionable with a knee and toe issue. That is not a great setup for whichever running back gets the bulk of the carries tonight, and it adds a layer of risk to Jordan Love’s fantasy floor as well since he will be operating behind a patchwork line against a Falcons pass rush trying to manufacture its first real momentum of the season.
Jordan Love Is Quietly Playing Well
Love has thrown for 531 yards and four touchdowns against a single interception across his first two games, production that had him inside the top fifteen fantasy quarterbacks through Week 2 even with the line trouble in front of him. Green Bay also lost receiver Jayden Reed to a neck and back injury that looks like more than a one-week absence, which pushes more targets toward Matthew Golden and tight end Tucker Kraft. Against a Falcons defense that has done little to suggest it can slow anybody down, Love is a viable streaming option even in one-quarterback leagues.
Bijan Robinson Still Gets the Benefit of the Doubt
Robinson played just 51 percent of Atlanta’s snaps in Week 2 yet still produced 16 carries for 72 yards and three catches, and a functional passing game should only open things up for him underneath and on check-downs. The matchup is not soft: Green Bay is allowing just 2.9 yards per carry, the second-stingiest mark in the league, even though the Packers have given up three rushing touchdowns, third-most in football. That combination makes Robinson more of a touchdown-or-bust proposition than a lock for a big yardage day, but he still belongs in the top five at his position this week because a healthy dose of goal-line work travels with him regardless of matchup.
Start/Sit Calls for Tonight
- Start with confidence: Jordan Love, Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Tucker Kraft
- Streamable, matchup-dependent: Michael Penix Jr., Kyle Pitts Sr., Matthew Golden
- Avoid unless your league is deep or PPR-desperate: Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
- Off the radar entirely: Josh Jacobs, who cannot play until the league office says otherwise, and Jayden Reed, who is dealing with a neck and back issue that looks like more than a one-week absence
The bigger picture for both franchises is uglier than one Thursday night can fix. Atlanta needed a full change at quarterback just to get back to respectable offense, and Green Bay is trying to replace a three-time Pro Bowl back with a committee that has not proven anything yet. But for fantasy purposes, this game is far more playable than the 0-2 record and messy backstories suggest, mostly because Penix Jr. is finally healthy enough to unlock two Falcons pass catchers who were wasted through the first two weeks of the season.
See today's NFL longest completion lines on DFS Lines, each one set against the player's last ten games.