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

Friday, February 13, 8:42 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud took another step backward in 2025, completing 64.5% of his passes for 3,014 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions across 14 regular-season games. He was also tripped up in the playoffs. Houston took down Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round, but then, Stroud threw four interceptions on a 42.6% completion rate in the Texans' elimination against the Patriots. Stroud was the overall QB11 despite missing two games as a rookie in 2023, but he fell to QB18 in 2024 and QB21 in 2025. The former No. 2 pick is still expected to have his fifth-year option picked up, but he needs to re-find his rookie form and prove that he's worthy of being the Texans' franchise quarterback long-term. He certainly has the weapons needed to produce; Nico Collins is a budding superstar, Dalton Schultz took major strides last season, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins had big rookie seasons, and Tank Dell (knee) is presumably nearing a return. Stroud is worth holding in dynasty leagues right now, but he's a bit too risky to "buy low."

Tuesday, February 10, 11:58 AM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (shoulder) acknowledged that the hit he took in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos was significant as it relates to his right throwing shoulder, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Maye was managing his shoulder injury in the two weeks leading into Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks, but both Maye and the Patriots downplayed the severity. Maye admitted that his shoulder was an issue in the 29-13 loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl, in which he went 27-for-43 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year QB threw picks and lost a fumble as well in what was a disappointing finish to an excellent second year for the North Carolina product. Maye doesn't expect to require surgery, though, and he should be fully healthy going into the 2026 campaign. The 23-year-old led the NFL with a 72% completion percentage during the regular season and finished as a top-five fantasy QB, although New England's regular-season schedule was extremely soft.