TuaTagovailoa

News: 3 days agoTagovailoa is expected to be rested for the Falcons' second preseason game Saturday versus the Colts, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Back on July 31, Stefanski told Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Falcons wouldn't play starters in the second preseason game, with members of the first-team offense and defense instead banking reps in joint practices with the Colts leading up to the exhibition. Stefanski doesn't seem to have deviated from that plan a few weeks later, as he mentioned Cooper Rush and Jack Strand as the possible starting options at quarterback for the matchup with Indianapolis when he spoke to the media Monday. Tagovailoa played two drives Friday in the Falcons' 27-7 loss to the Broncos in the preseason opener, and he's expected to take snaps again in the final exhibition game Friday, Aug. 28 versus the Dolphins. Tagovailoa is currently in pole position to open the regular season as the Falcons' starter under center, as Michael Penix (knee) remains limited to taking part in 7-on-7 drills during practices.

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.