Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Drake Maye

Tuesday, January 20, 12:30 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions in the first half of the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, becoming just the second QB since 1991 to throw four picks in a playoff half. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL draft has rapidly regressed since his impressive rookie season. The Texans are expected to pick up his fifth-year option, but so far, the Texans are non-committal on a long-term contract extension for Stroud. Under first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley in 2025, Stroud completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Despite having three playoff wins in his three seasons, Stroud has just five TDs with six interceptions and seven fumbles (two lost) in the postseason. Stroud said he was still "getting adjusted" to the new offense this year. Perhaps he'll be better in 2026 if Caley sticks around as the OC, but for fantasy purposes, Stroud has become a QB2 instead of a legitimate QB1 option.

Tuesday, January 27, 2:30 PM

New England Patriots (shoulder) should be fine to play in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. "This is a sport where there's gonna be things that come up. We'll talk about whatever status each player has for the game once we're required to," head coach Mike Vrabel said when asked if Maye injured his shoulder in the AFC Championship win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It doesn't sound like the second-year signal-caller's injury is very serious, and the good news is he'll have an extra week to recover before the big game in Santa Clara, Calif. It was hard to throw the ball in snowy conditions in Denver, as the 23-year-old went 10-for-21 passing for 86 yards, but he also added 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. As long as Maye's shoulder doesn't affect his throwing, he should bounce back with better numbers against the Seahawks.