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Field Yates reveals 2025 fantasy football draft strategy<\/p>\n
Fantasy football analyst for ESPN Field Yates breaks down key fantasy football draft tips and how to win your league.<\/p>\n
Sports Seriously<\/p>\n
FLOWERY BRANCH, GA \u2013 Of all people, Michael Penix Jr. found himself at the bottom of the pile during one of the featured scuffles that broke out on Wednesday when the Atlanta Falcons<\/a> and Tennessee Titans<\/a> hooked up for a second consecutive day of joint practices.<\/p>\n Whoa. The starting quarterback?<\/p>\n We knew Penix isn\u2019t going to get any live action during the entire preseason, as Falcons coach Raheem Morris has pledged that he doesn\u2019t want to subject the second-year pro to any unnecessary hits that could be inflicted in an exhibition. But Penix wound up getting blasted before Week 1, anyway, with no bubble wrap for the quarterback when he was put on the ground by at least one Titans defender who apparently took offense to a touchdown celebration and perhaps the trash talk that came with it.<\/p>\n \u201cI was down there, somewhere,\u201d Penix said of the moment.<\/p>\n Teammates rushed to Penix\u2019s defense. Nobody seemed to pay attention to the whistles blown frantically. An intense kerfuffle ensued, with so much pushing and shoving, cursing and yelling. Somebody lost a helmet in the melee. And a Falcons player wrapped his arms around Penix and escorted him from the scene.<\/p>\n A heated Penix, though, circled back and attempted to charge back for extra action \u2013 or at least more choice words \u2013 but was stopped by a teammate.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was somebody else out there,\u201d he explained, as if he possesses an alter-ego.<\/p>\n No doubt, Penix was out of character with a different side on full display for a few minutes. When someone described his typical demeanor as cool, calm and collected, he smiled, nodded and replied, \u201cThat\u2019s me. I don\u2019t know what that was.\u201d<\/p>\n He knows the Titans defense \u2013 sliced up by Penix\u2019s sizzling darts on both days of the practices \u2013 was not prone to roll over as he celebrated a deep touchdown pass to Ray-Ray McCloud III. Penix’s celebration, he insists, was fueled by trash talk from the Titans.<\/p>\n Regardless, it was a toxic situation.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball is a competition,\u201d Penix said. \u201cI like to compete at a high level. I don\u2019t really do too much talking until somebody says something to me.<\/p>\n \u201cI threw a touchdown, and (remarked), \u2018What y\u2019all talking about now?\u2019 I guess not everybody takes that the right way. I think that\u2019s all it was. They probably looked at me as just a quarterback; I wasn\u2019t that type of person. But \u2026 I\u2019m from Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n Where he grew up, Penix explained, getting disrespected by an opponent crosses the line. Yet Penix needs to let his rocket arm handle his business, while steering clear of circumstances that can blow up and become bigger problems.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s competitive,\u201d Falcons quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams told reporters. \u201cHe\u2019s a football player first, but he also has to understand that he\u2019s the CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n Yeah, but didn\u2019t the Titans get the memo? Don\u2019t hit, shove, touch or even breathe hard on the quarterback, i.e. the guy in the red jersey.<\/p>\n Uh, maybe not.<\/p>\n It\u2019s ironic that Penix found himself in the middle of a scrap not long after Morris explained why \u2013 a year after the then-rookie played just two series in the preseason opener, then was iced for the rest of the exhibition slate \u2013 he has no stomach for playing his quarterback during the preseason.<\/p>\n Never mind that Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray were among the starting quarterbacks to get limited snaps during their preseason openers last weekend, undoubtedly to aid in timing and rhythm.<\/p>\n \u201cMy philosophy with the quarterbacks is definitely to mitigate the amount of hits they may take that are unnecessary,\u201d Morris said during a pre-practice media session. \u201cI just think preseason hits on a quarterback are unnecessary.<\/p>\n \u201cMike knows how to take a tackle. Mike knows how to get hit. I don\u2019t need to see it until it\u2019s absolutely money on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n Penix, who replaced Kirk Cousins and became the starter in late December, maintains that having zero preseason snaps won\u2019t detract from his preparation for the regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n Last year, Morris didn\u2019t play Cousins during the preseason \u2013 despite the lobbying from the veteran quarterback who found value in the live game reps. When Atlanta opened the 2024 season with a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was significant rust \u2013 and not only with Cousins as the Falcons hurt themselves with pre-snap penalties and timing issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always going to be ready,\u201d promised Penix, who was chosen eighth overall from the University of Washington in 2024 in a stunning draft-day move.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s my job.<\/p>\n \u201cIn college, you don\u2019t have a preseason. You\u2019ve got your spring game, and then you go into Week 1. Same thing. I\u2019m going to be ready for Week 1. When it counts, I\u2019m going to be there. I\u2019m going to show up.\u201d<\/p>\n As it turns out, Penix will show up having already taken a hit \u2013 courtesy of the Titans.<\/p>\n Morris can breathe a sigh of relief that the scuffling didn\u2019t leave Penix heading to the medical tent. And Penix, who certainly calmed down after the skirmish, was relieved that despite the extracurricular activity, they had a full day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad we didn\u2019t cancel practice,\u201d Penix said. \u201cWe could finish that work. I know stuff was happening out on the field after that, but for everything to still continue \u2026 that was good to get the reps in.\u201d<\/p>\n Including reps from the scuffles that they could have done without.<\/p>\n