Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Cam Ward

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
21.4 13.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

C.J. Stroud News

C.J. Stroud, Other Texans Starters Won't Play on Thursday

Thursday, August 13, 2:19 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and other key offensive starters like running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks and wide receiver Nico Collins will not play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, league sources told Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 AM. With Stroud sitting, Davis Mills and Graham Mertz will take the snaps under center. The Texans will be short-handed at the RB position with Jawhar Jordan (hip) and British Brooks (hand) also out with injuries, meaning Noah Whittington, Josh Pitsenberger, and Owen Wright should handle the backfield duties against the Bolts. The 24-year-old Stroud took another step back in 2025 in his third year in the NFL after an impressive rookie season. The former second overall pick from Ohio State completed a career-high 64.5% of his pass attempts last year, but he threw for a career-low 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 14 regular-season starts. Stroud will certainly be motivated to deliver if he wants the Texans to seriously consider giving him a long-term extension in the future. Fantasy managers should treat him as a low-end QB2 with bounce-back potential.

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
19.3 10.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Cam Ward News

Up-and-Down Night for Cam Ward in Preseason Opener

Friday, August 14, 6:01 AM

Tennessee Titans second-year quarterback Cam Ward had completions of 18 and 16 yards in an 11-play, 95-yard scoring drive to open Thursday's preseason win over the 49ers. Unfortunately, while playing well into the second quarter, the rest of his night was not without its rough patches. Ward finished the game 5-of-12 for 57 yards and missed more than one open target while also setting the team back with an intentional grounding penalty on the second drive of the game. After a promising finish to his rookie season, the Titans surrounded the 2025 first overall pick with new playmakers in the form of free agent acquisition Wan'Dale Robinson and fourth overall pick Carnell Tate, and while Ward has shown flashes throughout training camp, most reports would indicate that he's still searching for consistency in year one of Brian Daboll's offense. Ward is RotoBaller's QB25 and not a player who needs to be targeted outside of superflex leagues.

C.J. Stroud vs. Cam Ward

Still trying to decide between Stroud and Ward? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that C.J. Stroud is projected to score 21.4 points this week while Cam Ward is projected to score 19.3 points.