Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Bo Nix

Tuesday, January 6, 12:34 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud rested in the second half of the season finale versus the Colts after completing 14 of 23 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Once it was known that the Jaguars were up big in their game against the Titans, thus eliminating the Texans from winning the division, the team decided to give Stroud the rest of the day off with a playoff spot already locked up. Houston will travel on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild-Card round. The 24-year-old signal-caller has had another solid season, completing a career-high 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while adding 48 carries for 209 yards and another score on the ground in 14 games. The Ohio State product has posted 7.0 yards per attempt or higher in 10 of 14 games this season. The Steelers sit in the middle of the pack against the pass in most metrics, ranking 14th in net yards per pass attempt (6.3) and 16th in dropback EPA (0.060). Stroud and the Texans may need to air it out more often Monday night, with how dominant Pittsburgh has been against the run recently, allowing a league-low 73.3 rushing yards per game over the final four weeks. In one career game versus Pittsburgh in Week 4 of the 2023 season, Stroud threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, posting the second-highest yards per attempt (10.2) in a game of his career. Stroud projects as a quality option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues and can be trusted as a borderline QB1/QB2.

Friday, January 9, 3:24 PM

Across 17 games in 2025, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix completed 63.4% of his pass attempts for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The 25-year-old also provided value with his legs, rushing for 356 yards and five touchdowns on 83 attempts. However, Nix closed the regular season with two of his least impressive passing performances of the year. Across two games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, Nix threw for just 323 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Nix was also not particularly efficient throughout the season, averaging 6.4 yards per pass on an NFL-leading 612 attempts. The Broncos have a bye through the first round of the AFC playoffs, so Nix's first postseason opponent is not yet known. However, his poor close to the regular season and season-long inefficiency as a passer could make him tough for fantasy managers in playoff leagues to trust.