Should I start Drew Lock or Michael Penix Jr. in Week 9?

The market-based projections

Drew Lock's market-based projection is 15.3 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 6 market sources. That is the 38th highest figure of the 224 players with a market-based projection.

Michael Penix Jr.'s market-based projection is 14.9 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 14 market sources. That is the 42nd highest figure of the 224 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Drew Lock, and the board ranks him 122nd overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Michael Penix Jr., and the board ranks him 125th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season so far

Through Week 2, Drew Lock has been on the field for 96 percent of SEA snaps, dropped back 51 times and thrown 7.6 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 8 of 51 dropbacks and scrambled 1 time.

In Week 1 against NE he completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 14 yards.

In Week 2 against ARI he completed 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards and threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Through Week 8, Michael Penix Jr. has been on the field for 99 percent of ATL snaps, dropped back 59 times and thrown 7.2 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 0 of 59 dropbacks and scrambled 2 times.

In Week 7 against SF he completed 25 of 33 passes for 213 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 2 yards.

In Week 8 against TB he completed 8 of 24 passes for 125 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 4 interceptions and ran 5 times for 11 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Drew Lock played 5 games and scored 0.1 PPR points, 0.0 a game, finishing QB73.

He threw for 15 yards on 3 attempts with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, and ran for -5 yards and 0 touchdowns.

That came to 0.6 attempts a game at 5.0 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 4 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Michael Penix Jr. played 9 games and scored 123.3 PPR points, 13.7 a game, finishing QB33.

He threw for 1982 yards on 276 attempts with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and ran for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.

That came to 30.7 attempts a game at 7.2 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 93 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Michael Penix Jr. was available for 4 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Michael Penix Jr. scored 13.7 PPR points a game and Drew Lock 0.0, 13.7 a game between them.

Drew Lock finished QB73 that year and Michael Penix Jr. QB33.

Michael Penix Jr. had 273 more pass attempts than Drew Lock, 276 to 3.

Michael Penix Jr. had 1967 more passing yards than Drew Lock, 1982 to 15.

This season Michael Penix Jr. holds the bigger snap share, 99 percent against 96 percent.

Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.

Byes and availability

Both are off in Week 11, so a roster holding the pair has that one week to cover twice.

Drew Lock is listed as questionable on the injury report.

What would change the answer

0.5 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.