Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Shedeur Sanders

Monday, April 21, 7:07 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he'll be "taking full ownership, running the show" in new offensive coordinator Nick Calley's system and appreciates how Calley is already putting trust in him. Stroud didn't look at all like a rookie in 2023 under previous offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but he came back down to Earth a bit in 2024 in his sophomore campaign and finished as the QB17 in fantasy while throwing for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 regular-season games. Protection was the biggest issue, as the former second overall pick took a whopping 52 sacks in 2024 after being sacked 38 times in 15 regular-season games as a rookie. Stroud could be more effective again with more control of the offense, particularly before the snap, leaving him as a fine midrange QB1 bounce-back target in fantasy.

Monday, May 19, 4:23 PM

The Cleveland Browns have signed rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to a four-year contract worth $4.6 million. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the news. Much has been made about the Colorado product's epic draft-day slide, and now it's up to him to prove the league wrong. Whether he's an NFL-caliber quarterback remains to be seen, but he's undoubtedly motivated to start his climb up Cleveland's quarterback depth chart. Accuracy is Sanders' superpower, but he needs to play more within the confines of his game, particularly given his average athleticism. The good news is that the competition to head the Browns' offense is mostly wide open. Veteran Joe Flacco stands to get the first crack at the starting job unless Kenny Pickett can beat him out in training camp. From there, it's Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) unlikely to play in 2025.