Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Spencer Rattler

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.

Sunday, May 11, 1:26 PM

In the wake of quarterback Derek Carr's (shoulder) retirement on Saturday, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore said that the team will rotation all of their quarterbacks -- rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough, second-year man Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener -- to give them all opportunities as they look to win the starting job heading into the 2025 season. "We're going to let all three of these guys roll," Moore said. Shough is already 25 years old and has plenty of collegiate experience, giving him the initial leg up as the favorite to take over for Carr this year. However, Rattler, a fifth-round pick in 2024, did play in seven games (six starts) in his rookie campaign, completing just 57% of his 228 pass attempts for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Haener has thrown only 39 NFL passes. Whoever wins the job in New Orleans will be considered a low-end QB2 for those in superflex fantasy formats.